Hermione's Plan aka Let's Make a Wish
by mandymld
Summary: Hermione find a certain red book during Harry's fourth year, that summer to save Harry and to right the wrongs she sees, she makes a wish and chooses to run the Labyrinth, her way which involves finding Sarah. Follow as she along with Harry, the goblin king and Sarah save the magical world.
1. Chapter 1

**If Plan A Fails, there are 25 more letters in the Alphabet**

Hermione Granger was not a happy young woman. She had just finished her fourth year of schooling at Hogwarts and had returned home to her parent's house. She should be happy, thrilled in fact at being able to spend time with her parents after ten months and two weeks apart, but she wasn't.

The reason for this was the parchment paper laying on her desk with the untidy note written by her Headmaster. He had returned the letter she had sent to Harry via a post owl, stating that it wasn't safe to send mail to her best friend, at least not currently and that it was best for Harry to be kept in the dark of things going on in the magical world.

The young woman didn't agree and knew that Harry relied on post from Ron and herself to keep from going insane while stuck living with his miserable relatives during the summer after a so-called normal school year, this year, after the Triwizard tournament and the death of Cedric Diggory compounded by the return of Lord Voldemort, she was rather certain that he needed his friends more than ever.

So if sending a note via magical means didn't work, maybe what she needed to do was to get creative. Taking her note from the top of her dresser to her table, she sat down and wrote it on some of the stationary her grandmother had purchased for her a few years before. Walking to the post office, she mailed the letter and went back home to settle onto her bed, picking up one of her favorite novels to keep herself busy until she heard from Harry.

Three days later, there was a knock on the front door and Hermione went to answer it. Seeing Professor Lupin with a strange looking woman with purple hair, she doubled checked his identity and then let them in.

When the woman with the purple hair who had identified herself as Tonks, just Tonks handed her the unopened letter from herself to Harry and then she was lectured by one of the very people who should have known that Harry needed contact with the outside world against mail even muggle mail, Hermione shook her head and replied. "If you really believe that it is better for Harry to be kept in the dark the entire summer, you don't know Harry at all. Please leave."

"We are here to take you to the Weasleys," Tonks replied with a smile.

"I am staying here, my parents are planning a trip to Wales for us this month." She replied.

"I am sorry, Ms. Granger, but it just isn't safe for you to stay home." Remus Lupin replied. "The Headmaster talked to your parents already and they have agreed to let you stay with the Weasleys for the summer."

Hermione who knew how upset her parents had been the previous year at her choice not to spend more time with them, narrowed her eyes as she looked at her former professor and saw that he had the good grace to look ashamed and realized that her parents hadn't truly been given a choice, that something magical had been done to them more than likely on the orders of her headmaster.

Already plotting out plan c, she reluctantly allowed Tonks to pack up her trunk, then grabbing one last book being sure to keep the title hidden as she wasn't sure how much the auror new of its history, gave in to their demands thinking that if she seemed like she was listening to their directions she would have a better chance at helping Harry.

When plan c which was to enlist Ron's help, didn't work, in fact, it backfired as Ron made it clear that he agreed with the Headmaster's plan, she returned to the room she was sharing with Ginny.

Later that evening, she was seated on the floor in the hallway eavesdropping on a conversation in Ron's room between himself and his sister that made it pretty clear who she could and couldn't trust in this house.

Ginny felt that Hermione was too interested in Harry and wanted the Boy Who Lived to turn towards her for comfort and Ron made it pretty clear that he felt if he dated Hermione, he would win her as some sort of prize that Harry wanted. Unable to trust the younger Weasley siblings, Hermione went outside for a walk around the small pond on the property. Arriving back at the Burrow, she was returning to her room and found Molly Weasley going through her trunk.

The woman's rather easy lie about looking for dirty clothes to wash had Hermione struggling to contain her anger as she replied "Thank you, but I just arrived today, Mrs. Weasley. I would never be so rude as to impose myself on your family with dirty clothes."

Walking over, she closed her trunk and deftly locked it with a gift she had received the previous year from an anonymous benefactor that she was sure was Sirius Black. A lock that could not be undone with magic. The red-headed woman left the room and Hermione gritted her teeth as she tried to figure out what Molly Weasley had been up to.

Later that night, after realizing that Molly was watching Fred and George as closely as she was watching herself, she gave up asking the two of them for help. "So much for plan d, Ginny won't help. The twins can't, so plan E is out, but maybe I can trick Mr. Weasley..."

The next morning, Hermione and the other school-age inhabitants arrived down to breakfast just in time to find out that Arthur was feeling dejected after learning of Percy's choice to put his career over his family by working directly for Minister Fudge. So much for plan f.

The elder Weasley then announced that there had been a meeting the evening before and it had been decided that the entire family was moving into the Headquarters of something called the Order of the Phoenix.

Hermione played her part, but never let down her guard as they moved into the dark and dank house on Grimmauld Place. Thanks to some subtle eavesdropping, she soon realized that there were several very big secrets being kept from the so-called children regarding the war, Harry's part in it and something in the Department of Mysteries and that there were plans in play that were rather dark in nature regarding Harry and his future.

That it was coming from people Harry nor herself would have ever suspected had Hermione becoming even more determined to free Harry from this mess. She also paid attention when the entire group was gathered for meals and realized that while they were a united front against Voldemort, there were factions within the group.

She soon realized that there were those who believed every single word that the Headmaster said and would follow the man without a single question, that there was those like her Potions Master who trusted no one else then there were the few, like Sirius Black, like Kingsley Shacklebolt who questioned things. Kingsley, however, was a complete stranger and Hermione after mere days at headquarters realized that Sirius Black was broken, mentally and emotionally as a result of his time in Azkaban and would be no help to her plan to free Harry.

A few days into their stay and more than a bit sick of cleaning and dealing with having no privacy even in her room as she was stuck rooming with Ginny in spite of the many bedrooms in the house, Hermione refused dessert after their meal, saying she had a new muggle book to read. Having to deal with Ron's scoffing and acting like her wishing to read was a crime, she eventually ended upstairs in her room and unlocked her trunk. Picking through her books, she found one that she had forgotten about and sank against her pillows to read.

Within minutes, Ron and Ginny pushed their way into the room and were loudly playing gobstones. Sighing loudly, she asked. "Can't you do that elsewhere like Ron's room, I am trying to read."

"Mum sent us up to keep you company," Ron replied as he went back to trying to beat his sister at their game.

"I don't need company." She crossly replied.

"Besides, this is my room, too," Ginny said as she glared at the girl she wished wasn't here. She had overheard her mum asking the Headmaster when Harry was coming and had heard the man saying that he wished to keep Hermione and Harry apart as much as possible for now, so the only way her Harry was coming was if she managed to get Hermione to leave.

"Fine." Standing, Hermione was about to storm out of the room but realized that her trunk was unlocked and that she wouldn't be able to leave without locking it. So walking over, she picked up the books on top and then placed them inside, casually locking the trunk.

"Hey, why did you do that? Ron asked, clearly surprised. "It's not as if anyone here would touch your trunk, Hermione."

Playing it off, she pretended to be surprised knowing it was important to act as if she still trusted him. "Sorry habit. I spent most of the school year keeping it locked after all the lies in the Daily Prophet, I just lock it out of habit."

When she continued towards the door, she heard "Well, aren't you going to unlock it?"

Looking at Ron wondering why he was so concerned about her locked trunk, she asked "Why? I will just do so in the morning, now if you will excuse me, I am going to the kitchen to grab an apple."

"Wait, I will go with you," Ron said as he stood and walked away from the game he had been playing.

Hermione inwardly groaned but said, "Sure, maybe you should grab some of your homework you have done and I can check it."

"Homework? It's too early to be doing homework, Hermione." Ginny replied.

Hermione looked at the other girl and said "I already have mine done. Anyhow, I thought that the two of you were so determined to play gobstones."

"Nah, that's okay, Ron is probably hungry." Hermione saw through the ruse and knew that they were keeping on eye on her for either their mother or the headmaster but followed the redhead back to the kitchen and to the bowl of fruit.

Molly saw them coming and with a slight smile offered the fruit bowl to Hermione and a slice of trifle to her son. Hermione was about to grab the apple when she saw a peach sitting on a nearby counter.

Reaching for it, she wiped it on her shirt and sank onto the bench and pretended to read, sure enough, not even five minutes later, Ron was trying to interrupt her.

Sirius Black returned to the kitchen, followed by Remus Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody and the dim grew louder and Hermione who had been considering her latest plan to reach out to Harry was a bit surprised to hear someone suggesting a letter be sent.

"I will do it." She said and reached for the parchment that was in the center of the table. A nice long letter later, she was getting ready to seal it when Molly reached for it.

"Oh dear." The red-headed woman fretted then taking out her wand eliminated over two-thirds of the letter before sealing it and handing it over to Mad-Eye. "There that is just perfect."

A disbelieving Hermione could not believe that Molly Weasley had removed so much of her letter. What little that remained sounded like something she would send to a cousin she wasn't close to, and worse sort of made it sound as if Ron and she were bragging about getting to spend time together without Harry.

So much for a plan, I. Plans J and K were tossed out when Hermione realized that flying Buckbeak the hippogriff was rather foolhardy and that she was getting desperate when she was looking at Professor Snape as a viable option for K.

Now, it was the end of July, Harry had been left alone for almost a month and Hermione was just about ready to stand in the middle of the kitchen and announce a, she was a death eater, b, she was in love with either Severus Snape or Lucius Malfoy to escape Ron's sudden attention, or maybe c, maybe announce that she was the illegitimate daughter of Tom Riddle, just to get left alone.

Between Molly Weasley using the kids as unpaid cleaning staff, the disappointment when she realized that the ragtag group she was with was all that there was to stand between the magical world and Voldemort and his forces, and the realization that her Headmaster wasn't the great man she had always believed him to be, Hermione Granger was growing more and more desperate as concern for Harry grew.

Finally after one more day spent cleaning rooms that weren't needed, after deftly avoiding Ron's sudden attention and Ginny's angry glares when she wasn't looking and friendship when she was, after hearing the inexcusable platitudes she could hear former Professor Lupin offering to Sirius Black about Harry's absence, she had had enough.

As they sat down to dinner, another meal of carbs, overcooked meat, and sticky sweet desserts. A meal where Ron inhaled not only his share but the share of a few others, she pushed her chair back unable to stomach eating anything else.

She listened as Molly Weasley insulted Sirius Black in his own home, as her potion's professor made snotty comments about Black, Lupin, and Harry.

As the others gathered bitched about trivial things, as Ron's little aside comment to Ginny regarding how at least Harry didn't have to deal with Snape and the rest of their professors at every meal burnt at her soul.

The Headmaster never put a stop to taunting and instead seemed to subtly encourage the troubles, Hermione had had enough. Looking at the cover of the red book she was reading, she thought about what she had researched and decided that there goes nothing.

Standing she used her book to smack the table, then when the crowd quieted then began to shout again, she slammed it two more times and said: "Will all of you please be quiet for a minute."

The crowd went silent and turned to stare at the teenage girl, all except for Molly who inhaled hot air and began to speak only for Hermione to hold up her hand and say "ENOUGH! I said enough, I wish just once all of you could hear yourself. You should be ashamed of yourselves."

"How dar-." When Hermione saw lips moving but no words coming out from anyone's mouths, she gave a nervous chuckle as she realized she had somehow either used wandless magic or had performed accidental magic as only their heads were moving and no sounds were coming out.

"Now, if I may have your attention. Sirius, first of all, I am not so sure you are the best person for Harry to be around right now, you have your own issues and you are the only one who doesn't see it. Yes, you love Harry, but frankly, love isn't enough. If you really wish to take care of him, do something about your situation and stop moping. In fact, start with dealing with your complaints about Mrs. Weasley. Do I need to remind you that this is YOUR HOUSE, not hers? If you don't wish her to do something, tell her. Even someone as OBTUSIVELY PUSHY as she will have to listen if you don't give her a choice."

The entire group was staring at Hermione then looking at Sirius to a very angry and red-faced Molly Weasley but had no choice but to be silent.

"As for you, Mrs. Weasley. You are not my mother, I have a mother, so stop ordering me about and trying to tell me what I can and cannot read. That is my parent's job, not yours. You are not in charge here, and frankly, the way you raised your own children make it very clear that you are not the great mother you think you are."

There was some stirring and it was clear that Ron and Ginny along with Arthur were upset with her statements but Hermione could tell by the way that Bill Weasley and the twins were looking at their plates they understood what she was saying.

"Your eldest sons, all three of them got jobs and fled as soon as they graduated. The twins, while there are good parts to them, are merely bullies on our side. Sorry guys, but pranks aren't so funny when you are the one being pranked and you both take things too far. As for Ron, the first year he saw himself as head boy and quidditch captain and has done nothing towards earning either of those honors. In fact, I would bet that when Harry or Neville are named Prefect this year, he will turn green with envy and attack them as not deserving the honor when Neville gets better grades than him without help and has a better school record. As for Harry, well he has saved the school three of the last four years, his grades are tons better than yours, Ron, he just hides it for some reason I truly don't understand and is a leader, not a follower like you, plus he has been on the Quidditch team since the first year, so of course he will be captain."

Hermione happened to look at Minerva McGonagall who looked embarrassed and then saw something in the twinkle of the Headmaster and realized something. "Or maybe I am wrong, just what was your excuse going to be Headmaster for not giving Harry the honor he deserves? Especially after he won the Triwizard Tournament you forced him into?"

She could almost hear the heads turning as they looked at the Deputy Headmistress and Headmaster. "Yes, you were going to give it to Ron. Ron Weasley, the only person in Gryffindor who doesn't deserve to be a 5th-year student, let alone prefect. I wonder why that is? Maybe in exchange for your promise to Molly?"

She saw the older witch flinch and said with a slowly growing smirk. "Yes, I was already in the room, hidden so I could read in privacy when the two of you had your little meeting. Just so that you know, I switched out the potion vials. I know everything."

Seeing the questions in the eyes of the others and how hard the Headmaster was trying to throw off his body bind and silencing charm, she said "A deal was made between the Headmaster and Molly that Harry will be pushed to date and eventually marry Ginny and that I am to be given to Ron in exchange for her not fighting the Weasleys being part of the Order of the Phoenix. It won't be happening. I would marry Draco Malfoy before dating Ronald let alone marrying him."

"As for you, Professor Snape, I am not sure why you have hated Harry since the minute you met him. I don't believe it is just because he looks like his father but if that is all it is. Grow the fuck up! Your an adult, taking your own messed up psyche out on a teenager, and it started when he was barely eleven." Hermione was so upset, so frustrated as swear words she would normally not use flowed from her lips with ease.

Turning to Remus Lupin, she smacked her book again and said "As for the rest of you, and I mean this double for you, Professor Lupin. I am so disappointed in all of you. None of you have any sort of a plan to win this war except to depend on a child, a fourteen-year-old boy. All of you have turned on him at one point or another, abandoned him to the hell he has lived within Privet Drive or believe that the Headmaster can do no wrong. Either way, I am done and I am leaving and taking Harry with me."

Standing, Hermione went up to the open area near the door and said "Goblin King, Goblin King, please listen to me. I wish for you to take fourteen-year-old Harry Potter away for me."

Hermione saw that nothing had happened and that there were smirks on faces at the table and a few looks of relief but she knew better, after all, she had researched this option as a last ditch, nuclear option since the past school year and had been seriously considering it since arriving at the Weasleys.

Three minutes later, a rainstorm began, the Headmaster was about to free himself from the bind and then there was darkness in the room. Hermione felt a tingling of magic surrounding her like the book said she would and she watched as Dumbledore tried to stun her but nothing happened.

The Headmaster quickly freed the others in the room and they were no longer petrified and began to yell when a white barn owl flew into the room. The room went dark and when it was lit up again, a man was standing where the owl had been.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Ron belligerently demanded as he came to a stop from where he had been lunging for Hermione.

The tall man with the blond hair, strange and mismatched eyes looked at the redhead and shook his head. "No, it wasn't you."

"What are you talking about?" Lupin asked while across the room, Severus Snape, usually one to offer his unwanted opinion at any time, was suspiciously silent as he remained in the back of the crowd.

The eyes scanned the entire room before landing on Hermione. Holding up a crystal, he froze everyone in the room and said: "Normally the wishing away is done in private."

"Not in this case. Did your goblins take Harry?" She asked struggling to hide her fear, well aware that this choice could blow up in her face.

"The wished away is in my castle." He replied as he looked at the girl standing there calmly staring back at him. All around him, there were adults and a few other younger ones standing with frantic expressions on their face, some angry, some confused but he sensed anger from the adults at the young woman standing in front of him.

"Have you come to give me my dreams?" Hermione quietly inquired.

Holding out the crystal, he said: "All you have to do is reach out and take them."

"What if I choose to run the Labyrinth, what happens when I win? Can you send Harry and myself wherever I choose?"

The Goblin King blinked when she added: "I know that there is a downside to taking my dreams now, but after I defeat your maze, I want Harry and myself freed from all of this."

"You know, you will be running without your magic, that if you just take your dreams..."

"I won't go without Harry." She replied firmly.

"You are a strange one, girl," Jareth stated.

"I know that one and only one has ever defeated your Labyrinth. This was my last option and frankly, I didn't wish to take it because Harry is much better at this hero stuff than I am. I am the brains, he is the instincts, the magical power and the one who puts everything together."

"You intrigue me." Jareth looked at the girl and then said: "As you wish."

The lights flickered and when darkness was lifted in the house on Grimmauld Place, Hermione and the odd man was gone. There was chaos left behind and only the dark bitter man who didn't so much as offer an opinion had any clue what was going on.

Thirteen hours later, time was moved back and those gathered had forgotten that Hermione had been there let alone had wished Harry and herself away.

* * *

Across the county, in a 'normal' house in a neighborhood with identical houses all around, there was a married couple seated in front of a television. They noticed that it was growing colder and that it was darker earlier than usual but thought only of their son, not the other boy who lived there.

Midnight came and they were calling their son's friends and were being told that none of the boys had returned home that evening. That the other boy hadn't returned home went without comment as parents made empty threats against their children and went to bed.

All except one, Petunia Dursley had had an odd feeling of Deja Vous all evening and when the sun began to appear on the horizon, she quickly dressed and was out the door, determined to locate her Dudders.

He wasn't at Piers house, nor any of his other friends, so recalling that he often went to the park, she went there to find nothing except broken swing sets and a hobo asleep on a park bench reeking of liquor.

She was on her way back down the street, crossing Magnolia Lane when she saw that there was a gathering of constables and hurried their way.

Breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that it was the only the dotty old lady who used to watch Harry when he was younger, she returned home, wondering if someone had hit the woman with a car.

Still, where was Dudley? And come to think of it, where was the freak? If he had done anything to her little boy, she would let Vernon do as he wished, like her husband had often complained about wanting to do to the unwanted freak.

Mid-morning came and her frantic worry turned to fear as the other parents had contacted the police. To her shock, they took the reports and then told Vernon and her that it looked as if the boys had hit Ms. Figg.

"That isn't possible, my Dudley is a good boy." She replied angrily. "It could have been my nephew, he lives here too."

"Madam, may we speak to your nephew." The officer asked.

"He is missing too." She admitted. "I am sure that it was him and that poor Dudley and his friends only chased after him to keep him from hurting anyone else."

"Madam, why did you not tell us that there were two missing boys in this house?" The second officer asked.

"Harry probably ran away, Dudley is the one missing." Vernon snapped. The two officers looked around the living room, at the photos on the wall of the same boy at different stages of his life, at the kitchen table, clearly set up for three, not four and were getting a clearer picture of things.

Showing her the photo she had given them that was of Dudley, the officer stated: "We need a photo of this second boy."

"Don't have any. Kid hates having his photo taken, clear proof of a guilty conscience." When the Dursleys offered no more information other than to tell them stories of how bad this Harry was, they exited the house leaving behind a nervous Petunia Dursley who realized that there was something off.

Outside the two officers split up and returned to talk to the parents of the other boys and to a few of the neighbors. Hearing stories of the delinquent Harry Potter, the boy who was so bad he attended a school for others like himself, they went back to the station and made a few calls.

Hanging up they went to speak to their superior. "Boss, we have a problem."

Once settled in, the senior officer explained. "The hit and run in Little Whinging. Five boys are missing. Four of whom if you ask the neighbors and the parents are angels who would never harm anyone and a fifth who if you listen to them he is trouble, all except one neighbor who swears that there is something odd going on in the Dursley house. She also claims that there have been a bunch of oddballs hanging around the neighborhood"

"Explain."

"Just strangely dressed people acting weird and that they have a connection to the dead woman. She also says that her nephew attends school with the Dursley boy and that he is a bully and should have been expelled from school and would have been without a sudden reversal of fortune at the school due to a donation from his parents."

"Not the first time we have heard that, Frommer."

"Yes, but the Dursleys can't afford it. They are middle class at best. He works at Grunnings as a sales manager, she is a housewife. No inheritance but a modest one from her parents."

"I ran the other boy, sir," Taggis added. "The school that the Dursleys claim he attends, St. Brutus has never heard of him. There is no evidence he has attended school past primary school. Now, I ran the boy's birth certificate. He is listed as the son of James and Lily Potter, nee Evens. Petunia Dursley is his mother's sister.

"Where are the Potters?"

"Dead," Taggis replied grimly. "Terrorist incident in Wales. Now, the odd part is this, the boy is their only child, and the Potters were a very wealthy family. There is also no records stating how Petunia and Vernon Dursley got custody of the boy. It's as if he was dropped off by the stork. Nothing exists on him except his school records. No medical history, no paperwork with Child Protection Services, no police records and considering the stories that the neighbors tell, if he was as bad as they say, there should be."

"In fact, it's mere word of mouth, none have ACTUALLY ever seen the Potter boy committing a wrong act. All that the most they could say actually seeing is the boy working in the gardens outside the house on Privet Drive during the summer. The Dursleys claim it keeps him out of trouble."

"And..."

"This other boy, no one but no one has ever seen him lift a finger, the Dursleys live outside of their means. Middle of the road public boarding school for their son, vacations twice a year, including to Europe. Dudley and his wife spend money as if they are printing it and the way Mr. Dursley talked, I wouldn't put it past them to harm the boy." Taggis replied. "I would like to get a search warrant for Potter's trust and see if it has been active."

"This is outside the purview of this investigation, Frommer."

"There is a connection, this Figg woman, used to watch the boy and was seen outside looking for him last night."

"Sir, Madam. Sir." The communications geek rushed into the room waving something. "You need to see this."

Putting the disk into his bosses computer, he turned the heavy monitor to show them the black and white videotape. On it, they see Arabella Figg crossing the street, looking up in terror, collapsing and getting hit by an American SUV. "The Hummer was reported stolen this morning. The owners have a security video machine."

Starting the second disk, the trio saw the four young men breaking into the garage, stealing some equipment and could be heard talking about selling it to buy marijuana.

As they debated stealing the bright lime green vehicle, they heard the fattest of the boys say that they could blame it on the freak, that he was home for the summer from his school.

"We should catch him, take him down to the old quarry, beat him up and toss him in." The skinny rat-faced kid was laughing as they hot wired the vehicle, then pulled out of the garage, hitting the edge and scratching the paint.

While Taggis and Frommer went with some uniformed officers to the abandoned quarry, their boss, Detective Constable Wright made a few calls to a judge and then a couple of financial institutions and was soon being sent a record of all Potter family transactions.

Two hours later, the parents of the boys were demanding to see their sons in the middle of the police station as the quartet were lead in wearing handcuffs and loudly shouting their innocence.

A showing of the videotape later and the boys were each ratting out the other, but all stories ended the same with the boy just being surrounded by weird looking creatures and just disappearing.

In spite of Petunia and Vernon attempting to say that it was magic, the amount of THC in the blood of the teenagers had the police believing it was a drug-induced excuse of why the Potter boy was missing.

They were booked and placed in cells and when Vernon demanded his son, he yelped when threatened with arrest himself. As they exited the station, Vernon was loudly making threats against the 'freak' and never noticed the undercover police following them home where they intended to call to hire a solicitor.

Vernon was still raging as he exited his car and slammed the door shut never noticing the odd shimmer of an invisibility cloak as he railed against Harry and threatened to end his life. He never noticed the loud boom nearby, but Petunia who recognized the sound inwardly fumed.

Entering their house, stunned at the mess they found, they were calling the police station to demand answers when there was a knock on the door and two officers with a warrant.

An abusive argument later, Vernon was restrained in cuffs and Taggis who marveled at the mess, went up the stairs to search with the Crime Scene team. The first bedroom, with a huge bed sagging on one side, was clearly the master bedroom.

They quickly located the safe and proof that Vernon Dursley was a crook who had stolen from his nephew. The second bedroom was clearly a guest room and from the scratches on the furniture and the smell of urine, one that had recently held a dog.

The third bedroom was trashed even more than the rest of the house. Locating illicit drugs, quite a bit of stolen property and pornos, they shook their head and labeled Dudley Dursley's bedroom as a result of the over-sized clothes all over the floor.

The last bedroom was a mess but there was no proof of a bed or anyone sleeping there so they went up to the attic. Once again no proof of human habitation.

As they returned downstairs, Frommer was watching with narrowed eyes as Petunia Dudley kept looking from the cupboard door to under the stairs to her husband with fear.

Finally, after this happened yet again, he went over and knelt down and finding a lock on the door, frowned. "Why would anyone lock their boot closet?"

Asking the crime scene team to cut the lock, he frowned at the smell of old urine and blood. Placing a handkerchief over his nose and bending further to look inside, finding the words Harry's room on the ceiling and the thin mattress, he pulled back and ordered a team to process everything.

Standing, he walked over and grabbing an attempting to escape Petunia Dursley, he arrested her and ordered them taken to the station.

An hour later, there was a group of oddly dressed people letting themselves into the house which looked as if a war had happened in it. Mad-Eye Moody was not in a good mood as he took in the small room under the stairs which was wide open. The twins story to him about finding Harry's trunk locked in there three years before had him frowning as he began to put pieces of the puzzle together.

Remus Lupin could smell Harry's blood and urine and after sticking his head in, bleakly shook his head before following the others up the stairs as they told of what they had personally seen in the house.

When they couldn't locate Harry nor the Dursleys, Madeye appointed himself on watch and Remus stayed with him, unable to face Sirius without answers as to where his godson was. He had been playing the all too accepting of everything order member on Sirius' suggestion just as the other wizard had been playing the not so stable wizard to find out the answers to their questions, but clearly they had not gone about this the right way if Ms. Granger was to be believed before she had left with her parents.

It was dawn when a boy rode a bike down the center of the street tossing newspapers at doorways. Madeye was only casually interested in this muggle ritual until he saw the photo of Arabella Figg's bloody face on the front page.

Grabbing one of the rolled newspapers, he ordered Remus to gather a few more and then with grim expressions on their faces they went back to Grimmauld Place. Entering the kitchen, Madeye ordered Tonks to send for the Headmaster.

Gathering everyone, he waited for Remus who had sunk into a nearby chair and read the paper from front to back to speak. Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall entered the room followed by the Weasley parents. Molly had been venting her frustrations at the elderly wizard regarding Sirius Black's latest edict about the house.

"Molly, perhaps now is not the time," Arthur suggested when he saw the pale expressions on the faces of those gathered.

Remus merely handed the paper to Mad-Eye then went upstairs to speak in privacy to Sirius, knowing that this latest news was going to destroy his friend. He could barely deal with it himself, but he knew that Sirius would need him.

Mad-Eye looked around the room and announced. "Arabella Figg was hit with a muggle car by Harry Potter's cousin."

"Was he imperioed by death eaters?" Doge asked.

"No, not all crimes are magically related," Mad-Eye said in a subdued tone which had even Snape frowning. "Turns out that this boy was using muggle drugs and he and his friends stole the vehicle. The police have video, essentially photograph proof of them speaking of stealing the vehicle and the hit and run."

"We must fix this. Harry needs his family." The Headmaster said only for Moody to push him back into his seat. "I must..."

"Listen to ME!" Moody roared scaring everyone in the room. "They kidnapped Potter afterward, beat the shit out of him and tossed him into a quarry. Potter is dead."

There was an uproar as all denied this was possible. Moody used his wand to shoot off sparks then said "Yes it is possible. We found that the girl was right. The twins were right, Harry has been living in an abusive home for years. The Dursleys have been stealing from him and starving him. It's all in the papers."

"We must obliviate..."

"It's too late, Albus. It is on the muggle news, it is in all of their papers, it is everywhere, you can't remove that many memories." Moody said shaking his head as the old man said that he had to do something, that he had to return Harry to his family.

Tonks and Shacklebolt were staring in shock as Albus kept talking as if Harry were alive as if being beaten and drowned couldn't happen to the boy who lived. As if he would just turn up and things would go back to how they had been.

"There is more," Moody replied with a heavy sigh. "The one thing the police have wrong is how Arabella Figg died. She was run over, but it looks as if a dementor got to her first."

The uproar at that news had the entire room shouting over one another yet again. Into this mess, Bill Weasley and his girlfriend Fleur Delacour exited the floo network. "What is going on?"

Tonks handed her former classmate the newspaper and went to check on her cousin and his friend. Both had been very unhappy with how Harry was being treated since the beginning of summer. She had figured out that something was wrong with the way they were acting and had agreed to stay quiet about it, she herself was finding that she wasn't so sure she was doing the right thing after the trip to get the Granger girl.

Lupin had not been happy but after Hermione Granger had laid into them the other night then disappeared with her parents the werewolf and the fugitive had been making plans to kidnap Harry and bring him to headquarters themselves.

Downstairs, Bill Weasley read the paper and shaking his head and holding his now sobbing girlfriend, looked around at those gathered in the kitchen and hated that he was about to bring them a whole lot more bad news.

"Mad-Eye." When the former auror looked his way, he handed him the note he had been given when he had reported for work that morning.

The auror grimly looked into the eyes of the curse breaker and said "This is not good news. Did they know about Potter?"

"No, not that they shared with us," Bill replied. "At least they aren't joining with Voldemort."

"Weasley...well, this might be even worse," Mad-Eye said as he waited until there was a lull in the hue and cry over a boy that most of them had never met and who most only cared about for what he could do for them. When the room was marginally quieter, he told Minerva McGonagall. "Tell Snape to get some calming potions ready."

Seeing her confusion, he coughed then said: "Weasley, here, has news."

"It's Harry, he's at the bank," Molly said with a grin on her face while many of the others also cheered up.

"No, Harry wasn't at the bank at least that I know of." Bill replied then looking at his own family then Dumbledore said: "The Head of Gringotts bank at the order of their King has shut down the British branch of the bank."

"They can't do that, we have treaties." Doge and Vance insisted.

"Not only have they done so, they sent a message to the Ministry and then fired all magical human employees before locking everything down. They declared magical Britain under a qubit" Bill replied. "I barely had enough time to get what I have in my vault out."

"Why would you have to clear out your vault?" Ron asked. "I mean, they will open again tomorrow."

"Ron, did you ever pay the least bit of attention in History of Magic or read the textbook?" Ginny asked annoyed with her brother. "They have never declared a qubit before. It means that no branch of the bank may have anything to do with a British citizen."

"It's more than that. If the tribunal finds individuals have harmed the goblins, their vaults are declared null and void and all monies confiscated. If they find the government has harmed goblins, well all vaults owned by its citizens are declared null and void." Bill stated. When he saw Ron's confusion, he said: "Basically there is no money left."

"But they can't do that, the Ministry won't allow it." Emmaline Vance stated from her seat. "Truly this is much ado about nothing."

"The Ministry had 12 hours to send a representative to meet with them, they sent Umbridge," Bill replied. Seeing Vance shrug, he said "She managed to insult them and when she demanded to be allowed inside, they locked everything down. Quite literally, all of magical Britain has whatever galleons, sickels, and knuts that they have in their pockets and homes."

Ron laughed out loud, chuckling until his eyes teared up in spite of the glares coming his way.

Molly walked over to her son and dumped water over his head. "What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I just think that this is the greatest news ever. Now Malfoy can't make fun of me anymore for being poor, He is poor too. In fact, we have more money because dad at least has a job and gets paid."

"With money, that is deposited from the Ministry accounts to my own, Ron." His father replied as he removed his glasses and cleaned them, his mind on how on earth they would pay for school this year if he couldn't access his funds or get paid. All thoughts of Harry having fled their minds, except for Fleur and Bill.

Ron frowned and said, "Well can't they just pay you in coins."

"Ron, with what coins? Do you really think that the Ministry just keeps that kind of funds laying around?" Tonks asked.

There was silence in the room as they pieced together exactly how bad things were, for most, all more worried about how they were going to get through the week. Those who truly understood things realized this would crash the magical economy within days.

"Bill, did they say why they are issuing the qubit?" Shacklebolt asked.

"It's on order of the Goblin King."

"The goblin king is a myth that parents use to make their child behave. Only muggleborns swots like Granger would believe that he is real." Bill listened to his sister's derogatory remark and realized just how bad the History of Magic education at Hogwarts was. He had only learned of the Goblin King when he had gone to work for them.

"Ginny, there is a king and he or his ancestors have existed for thousands of years. He lets each branch run itself until such a time as he is needed. They even fight wars on their own until such a time as they have need of him or he feels that he needs to intervene."

"I need to find a way to meet with this goblin." Albus Dumbledore announced. "Clearly he will be a powerful ally and if the Ministry continues to offend..."

"Sir, the Goblins made it very clear that it wasn't only the Ministry or Voldemort they hold responsible for this current mess, they included you personally in the qubit. They locked down your vaults and the vaults of Hogwarts."

"All magicals have been given 24 hours to send a letter of intent or there will be no vault for them to retain when the qubit is over with the exception of the three main parties in this confrontation. Hogwarts is a special case and they are sending out a letter to the Board. There is to be a special letter sent out to each bank customer."

Albus Dumbledore did not like this but put a calm expression on his face as he looked around at those gathered.

Meanwhile in the Underground,

Harry Potter was once again giving his best friend an admiring glance as she blushed. Hermione had beaten the Labyrinth, but she had done it in a typical Hermione fashion. She had done her research even before wishing Harry away. After purchasing the red book with the story at the end of her second year, she had tried to locate it's author and had done research on the newly developing muggle computer network.

On it, she had located the name, Sarah Williams. Sarah as in the Sarah the book described. Exchanging letters had given her a better understanding of the story and research done in their fourth year had given her all she had needed.

Unfortunately, she had not been sure of things until it was too late to change what had gone on at Hogwarts the end of their fourth year, but with her back to the wall that summer, she had wished him away then had bargained with the Goblin King while standing at the entrance to the Labyrinth.

She had kept the secrets, big huge life-changing secrets she had learned about Sarah Williams and the Goblin King to herself until such a time as to help not only Harry but Sarah.

Now, Sarah and the king had been missing for almost a whole day, both clearly thrilled with being in the same world as each other. Meanwhile, Hermione had filled Harry in on everything that had happened.

"Anyhow, I waited until the Goblin King returned to the castle then went to find this Hoggle who helped call out to Sarah who came through the mirror."

"So the two of you crossed through the Labyrinth together and what?" Harry asked.

"She was nervous about facing Jareth again but promised to help me keep us here for now," Hermione replied. "She knew how to go through the maze and other than a few obstacles that all wishers must face by themselves, helped me get to that odd staircase room."

"If we ever go back to Hogwarts, I will never again complain about the moving staircases," Harry vowed. The two magicals sat in the large chamber assigned to them as they contemplated what to do next.

"By the way, what did you wish for?" Harry asked as he looked over at Hermione who blushed yet again. "I heard the Goblin King laughing."

"I merely said that I wished for those who had harmed us to get what was coming to them." She said with a shrug.

"Oh." Harry replied then after a few minutes silence said: "Would I sound too much like Ron if I said I was hungry?"

Later, much later that evening, Hermione and Harry were eating dinner with the happy couple who announced their plans to get married. Sarah grinned at Hermione and thanked her for helping her cross the void to return to her king while Jareth filled the teenage boy on the happenings above.

"You can do that? You can shut down the bank?" Hermione asked as she got caught up in their conversation. "But there was nothing about that in the Care and Feeding of Goblins book."

"Ms. Granger, not everything is written down for everyone to learn." He gently stated. Seeing her eyes narrowing, he said: "What was said was said."

"But... innocents will be harmed." She said her eyes beseeching him to tell her that she hadn't condemned everyone in the magical world to the poorhouse or worse.

"No, in the short term, yes, there will be damage but down the road, Ms. Granger this will short circuit not only the plans of the one known as Voldemort but the rather unhealthy interest your headmaster has in Mr. Potter. Now, we need to talk."

With that, he waved his hand and a goblin appeared. "Please bring the dessert to the library where my queen and my guests will be joining me."

Holding Sarah's hand, he led the way to the large book-filled library, he stepped back and watched as the teenage girl walked around dazed as she took in the miles upon miles of bookshelves. "Remind me again, why I am helping a teenager, no two teenagers who aren't wishers or wished away, not really?"

"Because I asked you to," Sarah whispered into his ear. "Besides, this way you get to wreak havoc on some who truly deserve it. Think of it as a gift to the goblins who will be able to wreck havoc above and give us time alone."

"Speaking of that, I need to check on the goblins I sent to deal with Mr. Potter's family." Jareth replied then with a smirk said: "If you hadn't come back to me, I might have considered keeping the boy, his magical strength is astounding for a boy of his age and health."

"Speaking of his health..." Sarah dangled that out in front of Jareth, knowing he was keeping something from her.

"I will inform you of what is going on with the scar when we tell them." He replied then once all were seated, he nodded at the two magicals from above and said: "My tale starts with the four your school refers to as it's founders."

"Is this about Salazar Slytherin and his hatred of muggles," Hermione asked as she leaned forward.

"No, because Sally didn't hate muggles," Jareth replied.

"Sally?" Harry asked a bit surprised at the nickname.

"The history books are incorrect, the four founders came from the Underground. They were chosen by our ruler to go aboveground and teach those with mortal magic how to control it. They founded your school and were to age as mortals then return, but something went wrong."

Hermione was dying to ask what had gone wrong but Harry gasped before she could. "The basilisk, it came from here, didn't it? They suddenly existed in our world, but have been becoming very rare as time has passed."

"Yes, it did Mr. Potter. However, the original basilisk, or as we know him, King Adelphia of the caves region, was always too eager to learn about the aboveground and had no idea that he would be able to kill mortals by merely looking at them as he never saw mortals in the Underground. He unknowingly left one of his offspring behind. He was the father of the basilisk you dealt with."

"One who had been driven to insanity by being kept in that underground cavern. Salazar had intended to bring him back, but unfortunately, merely forgot. Basilisks aren't meant to be loners, they live in squirms. As for why the founders didn't stay, by the time that Salazar hated it aboveground, not because of the mortals but because many of the plants he used in his experiments couldn't be replicated above. His mortal wife died because he couldn't save her as a result. So bitter and disappointed he broke his pact with our Underground King and returned only to go to the Great Fade so that he could rejoin his mortal wife."

"But history says...why is it so wrong?" Hermione asked puzzled.

"Your history changed about three hundred years ago when a book supposedly was written by Salazar was located. The problem was that it was a fraud. Salazar never kept a journal, I believe that is the word you use above."

"Why would anyone create such a journal?" Sarah asked Jareth.

"Money, magicals paid a small fortune to the man who found it who also just happened to be the only person who could supposedly decipher the runes it was written in."

"Malfoy. Graphim Malfoy." Hermione said as a realization hit her. "He put his own beliefs in the book and lead an entire nation into believing that it was truly Slytherin's beliefs."

"It's more than that, Hermione." Harry grimly replied. "I always wondered why other than his gold Lucius Malfoy was so valuable to the dark wanker. It's because of this book. Lucius and his son are two of the same type, Lucius might be a bit more cunning than Draco but he doesn't hide his beliefs which as a true Slytherin he should."

"I have no knowledge of that but I do know that the man who is currently terrorizing your lands is in possession of this book. It's why he is alive in spite of his battle with your mother." Jareth replied his eyes on Harry as he remembered the note that had been waiting for him when he returned from the Aboveground with the Granger girl.

"The ritual he used to keep himself alive, but I thought that the book is a fake," Harry replied.

"It is but the man who wrote it used obscure potions and spells lost to most in the book but just enough existed to prove it's supposed authenticity, this was his proof of it being real. You should know, the founders have asked to meet the two of you and if you are up to it, we will be visiting them tomorrow." Jareth replied. "Now, returning to the problem at hand."

Jareth continued "After the battle in which your parents passed to the Elysian Fields, you were placed against their wishes with your aunt and uncle. According to the goblins of Gringotts, they were told that all other options were exhausted and that the funds arranged for your upkeep during your childhood were to be paid out to the Dursleys.

"Wait, they have been getting money to raise me?" Harry asked in an agitated tone.

"Yes from what was explained to me, it was a rather extraordinary amount from some muggle accounts kept for you when you are an adult," Jareth replied thinking on what he had learned during the thirteen hours Sarah and Hermione had taken to cross the Labyrinth. "Its why they are the first to suffer, that and their treatment of yourself."

"Suffer?" Hermione asked.

"The Goblins will be out to play most of this evening," Jareth replied with a sideways look at his beloved. "Back to Hogwarts. After the undeath of Tom Riddle, Albus Dumbledore was offered the job of Minister, he turned it down because he knew that this darkness wasn't over, but rather than search for answers, he put his faith in a prophecy."

"Like we learned about in Divination?" Harry asked doubtfully.

"Unfortunately, just like you learned about in that class because the one who gave it is your teacher. The problem is, that it was as if she had intercepted a phone call and she only got half the prophecy that your headmaster is relying on."

The one with the power to vanquish the **Dark Lord approaches**... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the **Dark Lord** will **mark** him as his equal, but he will have power the **Dark Lord** knows not ... either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other one survives...

Seeing the two teenagers frowning, Jareth repeated the prophecy and saw them turning green. "Enough, I just told you that it wasn't the full prophecy nor was it correct."

"What do you mean?"

"The first part of the sentence the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches... was what she heard as the words floated in the netherworld, she missed the rest of the sentence which states that the one with the power approaches the Aboveworlds.

"Meaning he comes from someplace else like...here?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, nor do you. It could be anywhere that someone can visit your world from." Jareth replied. "Borne to those who thrice defied him, borne as the seventh month dies."

"Surely this means Harry," Hermione asked.

"Or Neville," Harry replied softly. Seeing her looking his way, he said "Neville's birthday is the day before mine and his parents were also harmed.

"Except what does the words the seventh month mean?" Jareth replied. "Because there are multiple calendars that all have different months as the seventh in your world. In fact, Sept comes from the word seven. As for thrice defied, many, many people defied that particular wizard, your headmaster is defining his options by his very small circle of acquaintances."

"You are also missing the part where she didn't hear the entire sentence. Dies is where it ends for her, but the rest of it is more complicated. If she had said ends, it would have been more accurate but due to the waxing and waning of the moon, the actual time a month cycle dies isn't at midnight on July 31st, more likely it is a few days before or afterward."

"Neville?" Harry asked grimly thinking of his shy and kind classmate.

"Maybe, maybe not, but the thing is, your headmaster took it to mean you and decided to raise you as Tom Riddle was raised, without love or tenderness. I don't think he counted on you, Ms. Granger." Jareth replied. "Now for the next bit which is the part that angered the goblins so badly. The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal but he will have the power the dark lord knows not."

"My scar?" Harry asked, his hands going to the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

"That isn't a scar, Mr. Potter, It is in fact basically the lid on a container that the goblins could have removed from you years ago if you had been brought to them immediately but your headmaster in his hubris took the prophecy a certain way and didn't have it looked at."

"Wait, are you saying that you know how to make this go away?" Harry asked as he pushed his hair back from his forehead.

"Certainly if you wish but it will have to wait until we have visited with the founders of your school as they wish to see it and verify for themselves what your headmaster allowed to happen," Jareth replied. "Oh, one more thing, the power he knows not, any guesses what your headmaster believes it to be?"

Seeing the girl frowning as she struggled to figure it out, he turned to the boy who said: "The Headmaster said that my greatest strength is my power to love and forgive."

"Once again he is projecting what he wishes you to be upon what and who you really are. You are a very powerful wizard already young man and that power will grow, but love and forgiveness never has and never will win the battle with a megalomaniac wizard bent on the destruction of the magical world."

After a few minutes, Jareth looked at the teenagers and said "As for the next line, she garbled it completely when she repeated what she heard. I have been asked to let Sally and the others tell you what it means. You give yourself some time to think upon it and tomorrow morning we will talk again."

Jareth watched Sarah escort the two teenagers back to the chamber he provided for them, a bit unhappy that he wouldn't create another. He had his reasons and for now, just in case, he wasn't going to share them with his beloved just yet.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I am so glad that all of you like this story. I do have to say, I wrote this when I was without my laptop so any similiarities to scenes in my other stories is a result of my lack of awareness of using something already. Now, we start to see the results of Hermione's wish to make those who harmed Harry or her pay. Plus, well I just love to mess with Delores Umbridge.

 **Chapter Two**

Aboveground, there was a large crowd gathered in the lobby of the Ministry listening to the platitudes offered by the Minister himself as his political and financial backer, Lucius Malfoy stood behind him next to the toad known as Delores Umbridge who had a large grin on her face in spite of the news from the Goblins.

When Fudge had calmed everyone down, assuring them that the bank would be reopened by the end of business that very day, the trio returned to his office and he ordered his assistant to go locate the Goblin liaison for the Ministry.

"Now, Delores, you said you have some good news?" Fudge said as he sank back into his chair.

"Yes, this should please you, Mr. Malfoy. Harry Potter is dead." She gleefully announced then added, "At least he is as good as dead."

"Many of tried before you Delores, what makes you think you have succeeded in offing the boy?" Lucius replied in a droll tone to hide his fear at having to tell his master that the boy was dead.

Fudge froze, he wanted the boy out of the way, lies about the return of the dark lord and many important magical families were nothing that could be allowed, but harming that boy and letting it be traced back to him or his ministry and backing or not of the Malfoys and he was done for.

"Because I did what no one else thought to do." She crowed then announced. "I sent a couple of the beasts from Azkaban to his home. He would either be expelled for using his wand or kissed by the dementors. There was no notice of wand use and the dementors returned after a fresh kiss."

"Are you sure that they didn't kill a muggle?" Fudge inquired.

"Yes, they came back with a wand. I had it snapped immediately." She smiled widely and added, "Harry Potter is no longer a threat to your job, Minister."

Lucius grimaced, he knew Potter and was certain this had been way too easy. Plus, he knew that the only thing that kept his Master from wrecking havoc was that damned boy and Lucius wasn't so sure that he wanted war, change to the political system, yes, but not at the expense to his bank account. Thanking the Minister for his quick work to resolve the bank issue, he existed the Ministry and went to speak to his master.

Kneeling before him, he was told to rise and said "Harry Potter is no more. The Undersecretary to the Minister senT dementors after the boy. She also snapped his wand when it was presented to her."

"I want that wand." Voldemort hissed, uneasy at how easy the whole thing had been and that a mere Undersecretary had managed what he couldn't. "Where is the body?"

"Left in the street, sir." He replied adding hastily "As a message to those who would take up his wand."

Voldemort nodded then waved Lucius away, not trusting his word, he would send someone to look into things, turning to look to Macnair he asking "Do you have the plans?"

"Yes, master." Macnair rose and handed the blueprints to the wizarding prison to his master.

"I want a plan to free my supporters by the end of the month. Now go, Pettigrew, it is time to milk Nagini."

The rat-faced man with the silver hand was shaking as he approached the large snake, beginning to realize that returning his master to a humanoid form hadn't been the greatest idea he had ever had.

Lucius went home and found his wife speaking to their son as they waited for him to join them for dinner. Waiting until dessert, he gave his son the news regarding the Potter boy and watched as Draco rushed off to his room to share the good news with his friends.

Looking at his wife, he said: "Fudge has assured me that he will have fixed things or arranged for us to access our funds by the end of the day."

"I don't have your faith in that foolish wizard." She replied as she lifted her wine glass and drained the fine elf wine she had been drinking. "I rather fear how the Dark Lord will react when we no longer have the funds to help convince the guards to allow my sister to go free."

* * *

In London, a very quiet group entered the kitchen at Grimmauld Place. There had been no sightings of Harry Potter anywhere and Mundungus Fletcher had been found dead on a park bench in Little Whinging, his wand missing.

"Albus, where have you been all day?" Minerva asked when the older wizard joined them for their meeting.

"I have tried to speak to the goblins and even Fudge. He refused to speak to me but held a closed-door meeting with Undersecretary Umbridge and Lucius Malfoy that had them exiting with a smile on their faces." He replied. "I rather fear that the news isn't good."

"We tried to send Harry and then Hermione owls all day, but it didn't work." Ron and Ginny announced. Ron saw his mother at the stove cooking and breathed a sigh of relief, he was hungry and couldn't wait for dinner.

"Emmaline, Tonks, what is the atmosphere at the Ministry?" Albus asked.

Vance looked at the auror who waited for her to speak. "Fudge keeps saying he expects the bank to be open by end of business today, but I think that he believes if he says it often enough, it will simply happen."

"There were whispers in the auror department saying that if they don't open by then, Fudge is planning on forcing the doors ajar and taking the bank over," Tonks admitted. With a glance at the headmaster, she said "I resigned today. Officially it is because we aren't going to be getting paid this week, but unofficially, Amelia Bones asked several of us to do so."

"Why would she weaken the DMLE?" Albus asked.

"She is trying to keep some of us out of what is about to be a huge debacle regarding the bank," Kingsley replied from where he was seated. "Vance, I understand you refused."

"Yes, I prefer to believe that this will be resolved soon without letting it ruin my career. Unlike both of you, I don't have the option of working in the muggle world." She admitted with a frown on her face.

"The bank won't be reopening." Professor Filius Flitwick entered and sat down opposite Minerva and next to Severus Snape. "I spoke to my cousin Griphook. They will be putting their demands into writing and if they aren't met, the goblins will not reopen the bank."

"What demands?" Snape inquired.

"I don't know. I was informed that due to my connection to Hogwarts I am also qubit." He replied with a grimace. "Unless I go in front of the Goblin King himself, I will be told nothing."

"I tried to get a meeting with this king, but the goblins are refusing to even speak with me," Albus replied. "Filius, I hate to ask but..."

"I am being given one chance to speak to him tomorrow, but they won't allow me to bring you, Headmaster. I must go alone." Flitwick announced. Looking at Molly who was asking if he was staying for dinner, he declined and asked to speak to her sons before he left.

The twins followed the professor to a small alcove and were ordered to be seated. "I know and have known of which pranks you have pulled and attempted to pull over the last six years, but going forward, until this qubit ends, keep yourselves on the straight and narrow. There are other things at play here."

"Sir?"

"Boys, I truly don't wish to see you changed into common goblins." He warned then standing at his full height nodded at them and walked out the front door quietly to avoid waking up Mrs. Black.

There was the sound of coughing. Turning around to see Sirius Black standing there with Remus Lupin, they were about to speak when Sirius placed his finger to his lip and indicated for them to remain silent. The former prisoner had gone from being devastated the day before to suddenly being less upset that morning, but he had refused to even explain to Remus his reasoning.

In the study, they were directed to chairs then Sirius looked at Remus and then the twins. "What do you two know about the Goblin King?"

"Nothing, merely that there is a myth he exists and that if he does, he rules the goblins," Fred replied.

The two older wizards looked at one another then replied. "What do you remember about Hermione Granger's exit from this house?"

"She was angry at dinner, then stormed out the kitchen door." George replied then stopping tilted his head to the right then said: "Wait, that isn't what happened."

"You're on the right track. Now, listen to Professor Flitwick and watch your actions for the next few weeks." Remus replied. "I can't tell you more but things aren't always as they seem."

The twins heard their mother calling for them and hastily exited knowing that the Marauders were avoiding all others in the house and had been since Hermione's exit.

"So, it wasn't a complete wipe." Remus grimly replied. "So that means it was possibly Albus and maybe Snape. They are the only ones besides us who have that much power."

"No, Snivilus has been acting oddly, but I don't think he is behind this." Sirius replied, "I hate to say it but I rather fear that it was McGonagall."

"Why?"

"She out of all of us wasn't surprised when the Goblin King appeared. Snivilus just about pissed himself and has been acting quieter than usual, Mad-Eye doesn't remember so he wasn't involved. You and I thanks to the spell James created aren't as susceptible."

"Why though?" Remus asked.

"I am not sure, but at the moment, I don't trust any of my so-called guests. I am beginning to think that it is time to clean house." He grimly stated. "At least after we finish with our small little prank."

"Let's go. I can't believe I let you talk me into helping you with this or in helping you leave this house." Remus said with a bit of a sigh as he joined his oldest friend on a trip to visit a toad.

* * *

In London, Delores Umbridge arrived home to find her house had been broken into and trashed. Calling for the aurors, they arrived and found no magical signature and denying that it was possible for a muggle to do that much damage, she promised to let dear Cornelius know what a disappointment Amelia was the very next day.

She missed the wide smirk on the woman's face as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement kept hidden what they had found out in the open while searching the house for the criminals.

Using magic to return her home to it's normal overly pink and cat statues filled state, Delores eventually settled into her bed. Hearing an odd chittering sound, she quickly used her wand to light up the room only to see no one there. Deciding that she was just being paranoid, she went to her dresser and took out a dreamless sleep potion and was soon fast asleep. Which was a shame because she missed a truly beautiful performance of Mister Macavity from Cats by one of the older Underground Goblins as the rest pranced through her house and stole every single cat figurine.

Once they had all been removed, all of the sweets and there was quite a bit sweet stuff was eaten. Clothes were trashed, bright pink bows were placed on chickens and allowed to race through the hallways and in a bit of masterful magic, one particular talented goblin used her lipstick to draw a portrait of the sleeping woman on the wall.

When a groggy Delores Umbridge woke up the next morning, stumbling to the shower, she never noticed the flotsam and jetsam that was all over her home. It was standing in her closet, unable to find her clothes that caught her attention.

It was upon exiting the closet in her bathrobe that had her screaming in both anger and fear at the sights she could see.

Her clothes, her precocious wonderful pink clothes were all over the ground with what looked like little bird prints all over them. Her house had what looked like drawings of frogs done by a five-year-old everywhere she looked.

When she tried to floo to the ministry for help, she found her floo powder flung all over the sofa and it was only when she went to her bedroom that she realized her wand was missing.

Dressing in the only clean clothes she had, she sobbed huge tears as she wore the mourning robes over her too tight lime green suit. Her hair was drying naturally, in other words hanging lank down her back.

Forced to cross London without magical transportation due to her lack of wand, she eventually reached her destination just before noon. Entering the Leaky Cauldron, she pushed her way to the front of the line, claimed to be on Ministry business when Tom demanded payment to use the floo. Shouting at the innkeeper, she threw in the power and rushed into the fire.

Arriving at the Ministry, she saw the odd looks and snickers and vowed to make someone pay as soon as she got her wand back. Stomping down the hallway, she entered her office and demanded that the officious little cretin in the hallway find Amelia Bones and order her to her office.

"But-"

"Now." She croaked as she sank into her chair and began to recall the mess at her house.

Percy Weasley heard the door slammed then knocking on the door of the Minister was invited in. "Sir, Madam Umbridge is requesting that Madam Bones join her immediately."

"Thank You, Weasley." Fudge looked nervously at Bones then gave up his Undersecretary knowing she had nothing on him. "Amelia, I tell you, I am shocked at what you are telling me. To think that one of my employees would overstep her boundaries and do such a thing as this. I am shocked, I tell you, shocked."

Amelia nodded at the Minister, while inwardly sarcastically thinking, sure you are shocked and entered the office of the Undersecretary and hiding her need to laugh directed the two members of her staff to arrest the witch for misuse of magical creatures.

The shrill shrieks and denials continued until they were in the interrogation room. When Delores Umbridge was shown the parchment with her order to the dementors, the woman tried denial at first, then claimed she was being set up then finally when she realized exactly how much Bones knew, offered up what she knew about others in exchange for immunity and no prison time.

"Tell me what you know and I will think about it." Bones replied.

Delores was sure that this would work, after all, she knew lots of things about lots of people. Most people dismissed her or believed that she was too stupid to be sure she had proof, including Fudge so she had been careful not to let on exactly how much she knew.

Four hours later, she sat back and said: "So, what do you think?"

"I will think about it, some more." Bones replied then ordered Umbridge taken to a cell. In her office, she compared what the woman had told her to the scrolls her aurors had found while searching Umbridge's house after her floo call and was a bit surprised to realize the woman had told her everything she had notes on.

After dinner, having tracked down a few dirty aurors, Amelia sent them on a mission without an ounce of regret knowing that she was sending them to their deaths.

Going to visit the Minister, she settled in across from the man and said in as upset at tone as she could manage. "I have some rather shocking news, sir. While searching for the person or persons who broke into the house of the former Undersecretary, four aurors were murdered."

"Oh dear." Fudge winced when told that Yaxley one of his own guards had gone on the mission.

"I was sure that since you personally knew all of them, you would like to inform the families," she said shaking her head. "Its shocking, just shocking. After the mess with Delores, for this to happen."

"What exactly did happen?" he inquired.

"They were to approach a known gang of thieves but were to travel there by broom as apparation was out due to its location. It appears that Yaxley convinced them he knew the area well enough to apparate. They were all splitched."

Seeing his shocked surprise, she said: "We scouted the mission and I specifically warned them that it was a newly constructed muggle factory that builds really large fan blades for windmills but they listened to Yaxley instead of myself."

Fudge knew that he had been encouraging Yaxley to think for himself with the intent of placing him in Amelia's spot when he found a way to get rid of her. Malfoy was Yaxley's patron at the Ministry and he was not going to be a happy man.

Especially since Fudge had not been able to convince the goblins to open the banks. He didn't understand why they were being so obstinate. Surely they didn't think that they could win a war with the wizards, hadn't the last few losses proven that to them.

Fudge thought about all those boring History of Magic classes and how at the time he had thought them so unimportant, now they were all that was keeping people from blaming him for this mess. They knew that in the end, the wizards always won out over those creatures.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy was sitting down to dinner when Fudge flooed in. Now in his study, he listened to the man explain away his incompetence regarding his inability to get Dumbledore out as Chief Warlock, the banks were still closed and how Delores Umbridge had been arrested, he was already angry, but the news that four of his fellow death eaters had died had him ready to choke the bastard with his bare hands.

Once Fudge had left, Lucius went to his desk and poured himself a good stiff belt then went to tell his wife that he had to leave right away.

"But father, I wished to celebrate the news that Potter is dead," Draco replied pouting. "Its been so much fun telling everyone."

"Not now Draco." His father replied then went to change into his cloak and mask. It was with shaking hands and a nervous tone to his voice that he apparated to Riddle Manor.

Entering the throne room, he bowed and was bidden to stand. Within minutes of telling his master the first bit of news, Lucius was screaming in agony. By the time he told the dark lord about Yaxley, he was almost begging for his death.

Returning home, he fell out of the fireplace and lay there, bloodied and with shaking extremities. The first sound he heard was his son whining about not getting to have a party to celebrate the death of his enemy.

Wondering why his son was such a whiny brat, Lucius looked up at his arriving wife and struggled to stand. "Father, were you attacked? Who dare do this to you?"

Draco kept buzzing around him, not offering help, merely affronted that someone had dared to harm a Malfoy. "Surely you punished them."

"Not now, Draco." His wife said turning aside his son's behavior.

"But, I still need to know when I can hold the party for Harry..."

"Get out." Lucius sneered at his son pouted and sauntered out of the room. He never realized his son had only moved to the other side of the double doors. Once it was only his wife and himself he said: "He was not pleased."

"I will call Severus and find out if he has any of his special potion." His wife said in a resigned tone.

"No, don't. I am not so sure that I trust him, at least right now. Everyone is jockeying for position and Severus is as ambitious as the rest of us." Lucius replied as he struggled to hold his hands steady after his wife handed him the pain reliever potion.

"What happened?"

"Fudge has been no help, at least without funds to get Dumbledore removed from his position as Chief Warlock like the Dark Lord wishes. The wand I gave to the dark lord that was sent to me via our contact, was not Potters, but one that was taken from Goyle two years ago in Knockturn Alley. The banks are still closed so we have no money to pay our bills; let alone bribe people on his behalf and he blames me."

"What have you learned?" She asked.

"No one knows what is going on," Lucius replied. "Delores Umbridge was arrested for murder for sending those dementors to Potter, the dumb woman kept a copy of the note and it was found after she reported a break in."

"Lucius..."

"It's worse than that. Yaxley, Turnball, Macnair's cousin and Friginnths were splitched when they disobeyed an order from Bones. I don't believe it. I am sure she sent them to their deaths but have no proof."

"Why would she do that?" Narcissa asked.

"There were four of our compatriots, the only ones in the auror department, they are all dead," Lucius replied as he took a pull from the vial his wife had given to him. "There have been other deaths recently. A man I placed with Macnair against her objections to Fudge, was randomly killed by spiders that his partner claimed were in the forest at Hogwarts, one drank a bad potion that Severus made. He was known to dislike him for being a half-blood and had made several deragatory comments, now he is dead."

"Is that why you suspect Severus?"

"I don't suspect Severus over anyone else, I just trust no one whose name isn't Malfoy and even there, I am concerned about Draco. He is still rather immature and has no sense of discretion, Narcissa. He is a liability."

The boy behind the door was furious with how his father was speaking about him but it became even worse.

"I hate to say, but the Potter boy..." Lucius trailed off then told his wife "He is, or rather was everything our son isn't. He had a spine and didn't hide behind others. It's too bad Dumbledore got to him first."

Draco felt a fire grow in his stomach as he silently walked to his room, determined to prove himself to his father, to everyone. He was so sick of hearing about Potter, about Granger, about the only one of that pathetic little trio that no one held up to him as better was Weasel.

Potter was dead and he still couldn't beat him, couldn't win, well if he couldn't take down Potter, that red-headed blood traitor would feel his wrath after he did in the Mudblood.

* * *

Filius Flitwick left the bank with shaking hands and knees. The former dueling champion had faced many an enemy but being declared a traitor to magic was earth-shattering for him. He found himself in a strange position as they were refusing him refuge in the goblin nation and he was being forced to stay at Hogwarts until a decision was made about his future.

Arriving at the Leaky Cauldron, he took the floo network to Hogwarts then turned around and took it to the house on Grimmauld Place.

There were many order members gathered as most had no place to go due to lack of funds or no place open to spend them. Looking at Arthur Weasley, he saw the wizard talking to Doge and Mad-Eye and winced knowing that the man was not going to be happy when he heard the news.

"Filius, do you need assistance?"

With a weak smile, he nodded then told a pale-faced Minerva. "I am fine, we need to gather everyone and I do mean everyone. I was given a list of the demands that were sent to the Ministry and that isn't even the worst of it."

Ignoring all questions, even from the Headmaster until all were gathered, including the students staying there in spite of the complaints from Molly Weasley, Filius looked around the room and couldn't help wondering how it had come to this.

Once the crowded room contained all who were members of the Order of the Phoenix and the underage Weasleys, he looked at the Headmaster and said "Your request for an audience with the King was denied. However, he is sending a representative to meet with the Hogwarts Board of Governors, August 5th."

There was some muttering but Albus had a serene expression on his face as if he expected this to be no problem but Filius knew that when he heard the last bit, he would not be so blase.

"The Goblin King sent out their very specific demands to the Ministry and I have been allowed to read a copy of the official declaration." He looked at the Headmaster and said "The Goblin King on behalf of his aboveground subjects the Goblins of Gringotts London has declared that the British Ministry for Magic is under a qubit until such a time as the following demands have been granted.

If the demands of the Goblins of Gringotts are not met the Goblin King will shut down all access to aboveground magic in Britain."

There was silence then a few chuckles and Filius shook his head at the lack of knowledge of those in the room and in fact all of Britain. "I am rather afraid this isn't a joke."

"But the goblins have no control of wizard magic," Molly replied clearly not taking this seriously. "Our magic comes from our bloodlines."

Flitwick sighed and said "In truth, magic comes from the fae who mated with mortals, they have the ultimate control over magic. They have chosen to stay out of the aboveground, but thanks to the concern of the Goblin King regarding magical exposure, this has been changed."

"I know that you believe that..." Hearing the condescending tone from Emmaline Vance, Flitwick looked at the former Ravenclaw and stopped her speaking with only a look.

"Albus, I warned you years ago about how inept and that there were huge gaps in the History of Magic class, well that particular gaffe is about to cost us everything. Thanks to Binns obsession with the propaganda written about the goblin wars and teaching none of the true histories, there will be a break with the goblins." Flitwick stated. "Ms. Granger is the only student in recent years to express interest in the truth."

"Hermione? What does Hermione have to do with this?" Ginny asked from where she was seated next to Ron.

"Ms. Granger asked me for a recommendation on a book to read regarding the goblins and the true history between wizards and goblins. When she couldn't find anything in the Hogwarts library, I lent her one of my own books on the subject."

Albus was about to protest his doing so, but Filius just glared at the man and said "As I was saying, they made a list of demands, basically it involves equality and an end to tariffs on imported goods. These were the most important but there were other requests. The king also sent a cease and desist order to Voldemort."

"Well, that will solve that." Hestia Jones said from the corner. "He Who Must Not Be Named will kill this supposed king."

Flitwick despaired for his own side as he looked at those in the room, all of whom seemed to feel the same way. "Not likely, Ms. Jones. The king is not mortal, so there is no fear of his dying."

That caught the attention of those in the room. "He is fae. Fae royalty to be exact."

"So, what does a fairy have to do with things."

"Fae, not fairy, Mr. Weasley." Seeing Arthur frowning at his youngest son, Filius added "The very immortals who gave us magic. In fact, the impending war with the Death Eaters and their master might come to a quick end if he were to go after the Goblin King or his subjects."

* * *

Down in the Underground, Harry and Hermione were a bit nervous as they changed into the clothes being offered to them. Harry waited for Hermione to change in the bathroom while looking around the bedchamber they had shared.

He blushed as his eyes slid from the very large bed he had slept in with her, after a tug of war over pillows the night before. He had given into her list of reasons to share but had woke up this morning with Hermione's head buried into his shoulder and her leg between his to his complete and total embarrassment.

"Uh, Harry..." Hermione was half hidden behind the door as she tried to cover how she was dressed. The dress was interesting, while it was a typical A-line skirt the top had a scooped neckline that showed off more of her than she was comfortable with. "Is there a scarf out there that I can wear?"

Looking around, Harry saw nothing and told her. "Sorry, Hermione, there isn't. Do you want me to go ask Sarah for one for you?"

"No, no. I will just ask Jareth to create one if he will when we meet up with them." She took a deep breath and exited the bathing chamber and hurried past Harry so that he couldn't see the front of her dress. "You had better hurry up, you will barely have time to shower."

Harry frowned at way Hermione was avoiding looking at him and took it as her having regretted waking up with him that morning, not that he wasn't feeling the same awkwardness. Of all times for THAT sort of problem to happen. And it wasn't as if he could hide it either.

Soon he had showered and was drying off when he looked at the pile of clothes waiting for him. Lifting the shirt, he put it off to the side and was shaking out the pants when to his horror, he saw what had been left for him.

"Oh, Merlin." He said while gulping hard at the sight of the dark gray tights he was expected to wear. He had seen Jareth wearing them but had thought that it was because the man was the king, after all that dwarf Hoggle had worn pants more like what they had above and so did some of the others he had seen.

"Harry, what is taking you so long?" He heard from the other side of the door.

Looking around in desperation for his uniform clothes that he had just taken off, he was horrified to realize that they were no longer in the room. "I am just glad that Sirius or Ron isn't here to see me in this, or worse, Malfoy or Snape."

Soon wearing the tights, embarrassed at how much of his body was showing, he pulled on the top and thankfully unlike the ones wore by the king, this one covered most of his chest and hung down just enough to cover the bulge below.

Belting the shirt as he had seen Jareth do, he was reaching for his wand when he realized he had left it in the bedroom. Pulling on the boots and lacing them up, he felt like a bit of a prat as he exited the bathroom and saw that Hermione was standing next to the window that overlooked the Labyrinth.

When she looked over her shoulder and saw how Harry was dressed, Hermione hid her blush by looking forward as she realized that Harry was dressed in the same rather blatantly tight clothes that the King himself wore.

There was a knock on the door and when Sarah entered and smiled at the two teenagers, she said: "Jareth has a meeting with his advisers then we are heading over to the Great Fade to meet with the founders of your school."

Hermione saw that Sarah's gown was similar to the one she wore herself and the tense straightness to her shoulders relaxed when she saw that even more of Sarah was on display than Hermione was. "Sarah, have you heard what is going on above?"

 **Sarah's view**

"That is what Jareth is being told by his advisers. They are rather unhappy with the lack of concessions on the side of the British Ministry and that your headmaster has tried to repeatedly summon him." She answered serenely while hiding how amused Jareth had been at the rather impotent attempts to force him to speak to them. "On a better note, your godfather, Harry, he has been in contact with the goblins and they have a note for you from him."

When Harry moved forward, Sarah noticed how Hermione's eyes went to a slightly southern location and couldn't help wondering if she had been more aware of the world at the same age if she would have been more honest about her attraction to the goblin king.

"Do you have the letter?" Harry asked in an excited tone.

"I don't, the letter itself is still in the hands of the aboveground goblins. When the window opens they will pass it on to the king. Now, we had better head to the library so that we can be on time for our meeting with the Hogwarts founders." Sarah stated as she guided the two teenagers out of the large chamber.

A short walk and then a magic jump later, the quartet were standing in front of a large white marble arch. "What now?"

Sarah looked at Jareth whose eyes were still centered on the mist coming from the other side of the steps. Harry who had been about to ask his question again went silent when he saw the foursome exiting the arch and becoming corporeal.

"So you are my heir." The tall redhead stated as he looked at the young boy standing in front of him. "From the Peverell line, I believe?"

Seeing Harry's confusion, Sarah looked at Jareth who merely nodded in the affirmative while the dark-haired witch looked at Hermione then spoke to the woman at her side. "She looks like one of mine. Witch, what house are you in?"

"Gryffindor." Hermione replied then hastily added, "The hat wished to place me in Ravenclaw or Slytherin, but I didn't agree with it that I was a good fit."

"Good fit?" the remaining wizard scoffed and said "What on earth are you talking about, girl? It's your bloodlines that matter. Who do you descend from?"

"I'm a muggleborn. My parents were muggles." She replied flushing a bit at that comment.

"Muggleborn, what is this muggleborn word mean?" The rather impressive blond wizard inquired as he looked at the two teens. When they didn't answer, he looked to Jareth who nodded for Hermione to answer.

"It means that neither of my parents is magical." She replied flushing even worse.

"Poppycock." The man replied with a sneer on his face. "All who attend Hogwarts are descendants of our lines in some form or another. From your looks, my guess would be you are a descendant of mine."

Hermione was about to argue but went silent as the four founders argued with each other for a moment and then the man she believed to Godric Gryffindor introduced himself as such then the remaining trio.

"Call me Helga." The sweet kindly witch wearing a soft yellow robe said. "So young Harry, I need to take a look at the magic from your rather interesting scar. Would you please sit on the bench?"

About to ask what bench, Sarah saw one appear behind the young wizard who sank onto it while the older fae used a form of magic she had never seen to chant over the boy's forehead.

"Hhmm, interesting." She replied as she stepped back to look at her brethren then at the boy. "I can remove this dark stain from your body. It takes a simple ritual but he must give up it all willingly. Also..." She looked at Godric then asked, "Would it be too much for him, at this point, after al,l he gained the stain at such a young age."

"He is my heir, yes, he is capable," Godric replied while the blond man moved forward and ran a diagnostic test before reluctantly agreeing.

"Young man, you will gain all your gifts at once, unlike what is normal, during which you gain them as you learn." The tall stern looking woman stated.

"What gifts?" Harry asked sounding bewildered.

The two male founders looked scandalized and when they looked to the Goblin King for answers, the fae said "Too much time has lapsed and those who now run the school have forgotten the old ways. Most have bred within their own lines and don't have the ability to do such magic." 

"Then I wish to do the girl after we have worked on your young heir Godric." Helga directed.

Harry wasn't sure that he particularly liked the founders, but as they did their spells, he felt lighter, stronger and smarter. Within minutes of the blue glow that surrounded him left, he looked over at Hermione who was biting her lip clearly worried about his health.

"Harry?"

Harry looked over at his friend and gave her a weak grin then felt a sense of fullness and power invade his entire body. "I am fine, it's just, it feels rather weird."

"It will especially as you are one of my descendants of my family line," Godric replied. "Helga, was it a soul container?"

"Yes, with an unknown origin covering the line created for the Slytherin family descendants." She replied then chuckled as she held her hand over the small container. "Well, well, young Harry, when did you have contact with a member of the direct Slytherin line."

Harry looked at the Goblin King, who gestured for him to continue. Within the half hour it took to tell the tale of his first brush with Voldemort, Harry was shocked at the anger the founders were showing, especially Salazar himself.

By the time he finished with what had happened recently, the blond man had stalked back into the arch, with a grunt that he would be right back. To Harry's shock when the man returned, he had a very confused Cedric Diggory with him.

"Potter?"

"You're, wait, what are you?" Harry asked looking between his supposedly dead classmate and the founders.

"They are bringing me here, until such a time as... I am not sure, but it sounds like they are going to send me back." Cedric replied.

"I'm sorry, it was all my fault. If I hadn't suggested we both take the cup, you would still be alive." Harry said in a soft tone as he found it hard to look at the other boy.

"You didn't kill me, that weird looking chubby man did." Cedric replied. "Besides, they say as soon as that Snake creature is gone, I get to go home."

"Mr. Diggory is correct, but for now, Goblin King, is there a place for him to stay?" Rowena inquired.

"I can arrange for him to stay with the King of the Underground, until such a time as he will be allowed to return. What of the others?" He inquired.

The quartet debated then told him the news. "We will arrange for them to exit the fade, but they may have been gone too long. They might have to stay in the Underground, only time will tell." 

Looking at the teenage boy, then at his friend, the Goblin King grimaced and said "I will arrange for them to stay in my kingdom."

"They will be given fae blood." Helga announced with a sudden burst of inspiration. "A new line for a new magical world through their son."

Nodding, the king then said "You know the prophecy and what it is believed to be above. The boy needs to know all."

Looking at Harry, Salazar stepped back to let Rowena take the lead. While they were preparing to explain, he used his own magic to verify his belief that the girl was one of his own. She wasn't, no she was one of Rowena's like the witch had stated at the beginning.

Frowning as he listened to the witches and the boy talked to one another, he felt a small idea turn into a much bigger one. "Young man, before we get into that. You said that they sealed my chambers after the death of the cave dweller snake?"

"Yes, sir." Harry replied.

"Good, good." He said then pulling the Goblin King off to the side, told the fae king his idea. When the man thought about it, then agreed, he used magic to create the book he wished for and then closing his eyes sent it to the Chamber to only be found when the boy returned.

"Either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other one survives..." As she repeated what she had heard, Hermione stopped and looked at Harry and said: "That sounds like nonsense, Harry it's not possible for it to be real."

"Remember, she only heard bits and pieces. What she missed was that they weren't talking about Harry, but that bit of the dark lord he left inside of him. By removing that bit, it means that this dark lord may die."

"When your mother died to protect you, Harry, she gave you a powerful bit of protection, but that protection also protected that bit of the dark lord inside of you. Now that it is removed, he can die. He had been attempting for years to create soul catchers, but none actually succeeded. He would have returned but as a shadow of himself."

"The diary." Harry said, his eyes going to Hermione whose own eyes went wide. "Was that one of those soul catchers?"

"No, it was a practice run. He would have returned in that Chamber but only as a shade. He would have looked real, would have even believed he was, until he went to leave the chamber." Salazar replied. "This magic they used to bring him back, it has a major weakness, one that can be exploited. He used your blood to return him to life."

"How did that weaken him?" Jareth asked.

"All Harry has to do is a ritual calling all of his blood back to him. Any that was removed against his will in a ritual will return." Godric replied.

"But blood magic is dark..." Hermione protested.

"Girlie, don't believe everything you have been taught. Clearly, that school has been very, very neglectful in it's teachings." Helga stated while glaring at the teenager.

"But-" Hermione tried to protest again, but Sarah gently guided her to the bench and suggested that she listen and stop judging until they have explained what they wish Harry to do.

"It's rather simple, as he never gave the blood willingly, he only needs to use a blood quill to write on parchment that he wishes to have all blood taken from him without his permission returned. Now, young lady, let's address your objections." Godric stated.

"There are many rituals that use blood, but if that blood is given freely, it is not dark magic, if blood is removed against ones will or harm is done by the removing of blood, then the magic is dark." Rowena replied.

"Almost all rituals and potions use some form of blood magic at their base. Your wands, are created using blood magic. Their cores are created via feathers, heartstrings, hair from various creatures." Salazar stated. He saw the girl's eyes open in surprise. "Many potions contain eye of newt and other ingredients that came from creatures with blood in them."

"I never...why...Ministry." Hermione stopped and said "Wait, but what about the blood of witches and wizards?

As the young girl began to put it together, Salazar said "Exactly. The blood of witches and wizards."

"Ms. Granger, when you marry your second cousin twice removed, when you only marry within a small group, birth defects and other issues appear. It's why so few fae have children. It's why they adopt the wished away. It's why the founders were sent above. Most fae wished their bloodlines to continue and propagated with mortals to do so. If a magical child appeared, they brought that child below. Eventually, that wasn't feasible anymore."

Seeing Sarah looking his way, Jareth shook his head no then told her. "I knew you existed, I wished to wait for you before fathering children. I have no descendants."

"Getting back to the issues at hand, it is why blood rituals are banned, because the magic to perform them, the blood needed is too weak. How do you cover this up, you ban it, saying that it is dark. Your headmaster was responsible for that, along with his predecessor, Dippet." Jareth replied.

"We must return to the Fade." Rowena announced. "Helga, now is the time to test my descendant. Mr. Potter, the answers you seek, are not to be found in those around you, but within yourself. As for this prophecy, get a hold of it and break the crystal it is contained it, it will expose that it is a fraud because it won't reform."

Hermione soon realized what Harry had meant when he said he felt odd but not as bad as the tingling surrounded her. While it wasn't as dramatic as Harry's, she was soon filled with a sense of wonder at the power she could feel.

"Your levels will settle down after a good night's rest." Helga announced then nodding at Harry returned through the arch.

When they had left, Harry confessed. "My thoughts on them were based on who is currently the head of each of those houses or something similar, but they are nothing like I expected."

"Myths are just as important, Harry as reality, sometimes." The Goblin King announced. "Now, when we return, the two of you are to rest, by tomorrow morning, you will notice a difference in your health and magical power."

"Sarah mentioned a note from my godfather..." Harry trailed off when he was handed a rather formal note with a wax seal upon it.

"You will wish to read it, but you should understand, your godfather, he has his own issues. We will settle things when I have dealt with your ministry and that rather unfortunate magical construction. It is his followers we have to bring out into the light and not allow to hide like cockroaches in the dark." Jareth announced as they were soon magically transported to his realm.

* * *

Amelia Bones sat back in her office chair, a strong sense of satisfaction settling in as she wrote up the order to take Delores Umbridge's case to the Wizengamot, or rather her confession.

She had just left the rather unpleasant woman who had not been happy to find out that Amelia had found her evidence while searching her house the day before. Umbridge had squawked and complained about her being the person who had broken in while she had been asleep, so Amelia had gone personally to the woman's small cottage and had been astounded at the mess she had seen.

Looking up as her door opened, Amelia invited the surprise guest in and asked. "What may I do for you, Mister Cattermole?"

The man looked at the head of the Magical Law Enforcement and stuttered for a bit then taking a deep breath sat down in the chair across from her and said "I, I am not sure who to talk to because I don't think anyone will believe me, I, it's not as if I am exactly the smartest wizard around, but my wife, my Mary told me that I had to tell someone and after we spoke for a bit, she insists that I come to speak to you, but-."

"Mister Cattermole, why don't you just tell me what it is that you are concerned about and let me decide, alright?" She suggested as she placed where she knew the wizard from. He worked in the Maintenance Department for the Ministry.

"I uh, I wasn't the best student when at Hogwarts, in fact, I was rather terrible, don't have the ability to write well and in truth, my magic isn't quite up to others around me, but well, my parents wanted me to do my best so I took certain classes..."

"Continue." She said when he trailed off.

"I uh, I took Divination, which wasn't that hard and Muggle Studies which I passed thanks to my wife who was born in a non magical family." He replied. "We met because of that class and well there was another class besides Astronomy that I did well in, well I mean, not well in the tests and things, but I well, I spent a lot of time reading about it and well, I failed my NEWT in it because I had found something that changed what I long believed to be the truth because I only read the books at Hogwarts and that they sold here in the Alley, but one summer, I uh, I heard about this potion and well..."

Amelia was beginning to think that this was a waste of her time when the wizard in front of her seemed to gain courage because he suddenly sat upright and looked into her eyes.

"I had wanted to buy this potion that was illegal so that meant getting it in Knockturn Alley. I learned that the potion was nonsense, that it did nothing to strengthen your magical core but what that trip did give me was a new source of magical history books."

"Why is this so important, Mr. Cattermole?" She asked.

The man pulled out a small crate and asked her to resize it. When she had done so, he lifted off the lid and said "Because these books don't tell the same story regarding the History of Magic as what we have all been taught at Hogwarts. I stopped arguing about which version was real years ago after Headmaster Dumbledore dismissed my concerns and complaints regarding how badly misleading History of Magic class is and how out of date Muggle Studies is. It's why we home school our children, I wouldn't waste what little money I have on sending my children to learn incorrect and incomplete schooling."

"Are you here regarding a complaint against Hogwarts?" She asked.

"No, no, we both know that would get me nowhere. I am here because of the current disagreements with the Goblins. I know that you won't believe me, but the Ministry is going about this all the wrong way. If the books contained in this crate are correct, we are going to all lose access to the bank permanently and Madam Bones, this Goblin King, there is a book about him in that crate and the world he inhabits that someone with common sense really, really needs to read."

Reginald Cattermole then took a deep breath and said: "My wife thinks that you are wizard kind's best and only hope of preventing what is going to happen if we don't stop this divide from growing wider."

While Amelia was wrapping her mind around what she was hearing, the man continued to speak. "I went to old Mockbridge and he laughed at me and told me I was an idiot. Cresswell isn't much better, which being as he is a muggleborn, I was sure that he would not be so close-minded, but he refused to listen as well."

"I am not sure that I believe what you are telling me, but I will read these books and we will speak again in two days." She replied then when he had left, looked into the desk drawer and pulled out the time turner. "So much to do and so little time to do it."

Arriving home, she sank onto her bed, turned time back and went to sleep for eight hours. When she woke up, she looked at the clock and went to make herself a pot of tea and some food. Reading for sixteen hours straight then going to sleep, Amelia awoke the next morning with a sense of foreboding as she went to work.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sarah was talking to Jareth who was explaining why removing all memories of Harry and Hermione from those above would be impossible as they walked down the corridor after having watched the sunrise from the center of the hedge labyrinth. "What about after they succeed?"

"Young Harry has a role to play in changing certain beliefs aboveground." He replied. "It is a pity about that, but what be must be in order for their world to survive."

"It's just, his parents, they will be out of reach." She said as she thought about what they had been told regarding the return of the Potters.

"I would have thought you would have had more faith in myself." He replied with a slight smirk upon his face. Seeing her eye roll, he released her hand and pulling her close, wrapped his arms around her waist then pressing a kiss to her forehead, then her nose and finally her lips whispered into her ears "Seems to be that a certain someone who has spent the last several years speaking to certain friends in spite of one being aboveground and said friends being here, should know better."

"Jareth." She giggled a bit as he moved infinitesimally closer until there was no distance between the two of them. "Remember I am new at this."

"In more ways than one." He said with a slight leer then being pinched on the arm, attempted to act imperiously but unable to considering he had achieved his deepest and most heartfelt dream, said "I am a king, you must always..."

Sarah laughed and pulled Jareth's head down and kissed him as passionately as she could considering they were both laughing. "Now, where were we, your majesty."

"I was trying to tell you that the Potters would have contact with their son and that upon his time ending in the above, he would join them here with his beloved." He stated not mentioning that his father was considering how to fix thing so that the Potters could return aboveground just in case it didn't work.

"Hermione?" She asked hopefully.

"I believe so, the fates were unable to verify this as a result of the soul container, but they believed so. The strange thing is that the soul container has increased his magical output which is somewhat large for a mortal magical to begin with. I am sure that that was why Dumbledore has expressed such an interest in him, Harry is already equal to him in strength now that the soul container has been removed and he will continue to grow and with his Potter name and his notoriety, he will be a force to reckoned with.."

"I still am concerned about Hermione." She admitted. "What if those people she told me about were to succeed in keeping them apart?"

"You need to have faith, my love." He replied then admitted.

"You were created to be the other half of my soul." He replied as he rested his head on top of hers. "I have spent so long awaiting your time to join me, though time and beyond. We were meant to be and I am rather certain that Hermione and young Harry are also meant to be."

* * *

Harry had been looking for the Goblin King and had been an unwitting witness to the romantic moment of the couple and found himself seated on the stone bench thinking of what he had just heard.

As he thought about Hermione and the last four years, he couldn't help realizing that he HAD noticed her first year upon the train but had been so eager to keep Ron as his first ever friend that he had been unsure of what to think or feel about the very intelligent girl they had met.

He could still feel his regret for what had happened outside of Charms class that year. and not standing up for her with Ron. While they had eventually become friends, he often found himself more worried about losing Ron's friendship than Hermione's and now wondered why that had been.

In his second year, when Hermione had been petrified, he had often gone to the infirmary to visit her, but couldn't help recalling how Ron had often skived off and how he had never insisted on his joining him. He also couldn't help recalling Hermione running into the Great Hall and hugging him up waking up and how that had felt.

During his third year, he had been a wreck due to the dementors and the news regarding his godfather. When the Firebolt incident had happened, Harry had been so angry with Hermione, but now he could admit to himself that it was because he had associated what she had done with Dudley always getting anything good that Harry had ever had. Which was foolish though he did wish she had come to him before going to speak to McGonagall.

Last year... Harry couldn't help recalling how Hermione had been the only person who had stood by him, who had been harmed while doing so and couldn't help wondering why he had not thought of her when needing a date for the Yule Ball.

His crush on Cho, which still made Harry wince as he realized that other than both of them being seekers they had nothing in common. How much of that crush had been because she had been so popular? Was Harry guilty of crushing on her for the very same reason that so many people had originally tried to befriend him at school?

Harry hadn't been jealous of Hermione going out with Victor Krum mainly because he had felt that for once, she deserved to get what she desired. It wasn't until the end of the tournament and then time spent stuck with nothing to do all summer that Harry could look back and see that it had been friendship between Krum and Hermione, not romance.

He had after seeing how beautiful she had been, regretted not opening his eyes and seeing what was right in front of him, but upon realizing that Ron liked Hermione had decided that she was off limits so as to not upset the redhead.

Yet, why?

He was tired of always being the one sacrificing his wishes and desires, of always being the go-to guy. Why shouldn't he act on his buried interest in the smartest girl he knew? Hermione challenged him, something that no one else he had met at Hogwarts did. Yes, there were fangirls, even some ex-fangirls, like Ron's sister Ginny, but none of them knew the real Harry and in truth, he couldn't help thinking that none truly ever would.

Hermione... well Hermione knew the real Harry and still wished to be there with him. He didn't know if she liked him the way he was beginning to realize he liked her, but he knew one thing, he didn't intend to be like the Goblin King and as a result of not speaking up or speaking up and messing it up, losing years with the person he cared for. Plus, he had to talk to her about what she had told Sarah, who was attempting to keep them apart?

Those in Grimmauld Place were gathering, wondering why the Headmaster had called for them to meet that afternoon instead of the evening as was normal.

When all were in the kitchen, the last of the stragglers entered, including Vance and Jones who were slightly pale as they looked at those already assembled. All that was missing were the Hogwarts staff, Black, and Lupin.

"What is it?" Mad-Eye inquired.

Emmaline shook her head and then told them. "I am sure you have seen the Daily Prophet about Delores Umbridge. That was the least of the matters being handled at the Ministry today. The Minister sent out notifications calling for an emergency meeting of the Wizengamot tomorrow at the request of Amelia Bones in regards to all current events."

"I am assuming this meant the events at Gringotts today?" Bill Weasley asked as he looked at those around the fireplace. When they looked his way, he said "The ICW has declared a quarantine around Britain. Fleur is trapped in France where she went to speak to her parents. Charlie is also stuck in Romania but that might be a good thing as it is only the British branch of Gringotts that has been closed."

"Oh, so we can go take money out if we go to France?" Arthur inquired.

"No, all British subjects in this country on the day the qubit was declared are refused entrance," Bill replied tiredly. "This quarantine is going to speed up the process of crashing our financial system."

Molly was quite fine with the news that that, that French tartlet would be so far away from her precious little boy, but she stayed silent. When Sirius Black entered, the room, she like the rest were surprised to see how different the wizard looked. His tattoos were either covered or gone, his hair had been cut, his face shaved into a neat beard and he was wearing new clothes even if they were a bit strangely styled muggle clothes.

"'Thank you for joining me." He said as he went to stand in the Headmaster's usual spot. "Now, I understand that with the latest news from the bank and the Ministry that most of you are having financial issues, but if you are going to be staying in my house, a few rules are going to have to be laid down and must be obeyed."

When Molly started to speak, he held up his hand and said "I have notes and I am going to follow them. No questions at this time."

The wizard looked around and said "As of five minutes ago, the control for the Fidelius Charm was changed from the headmaster to me. So to enter after you exit today, you must have a new note from myself."

"The Headmaster isn't going to be happy you did this." Doge who was one who followed the old fool blindly replied from his spot at the table.

"Oddly enough, I don't care. This is MY ancestral home, such as it is." He spoke avoiding using an angry tone. "You will notice that Snape is missing, he is not going to be allowed entrance as a result of the animosity between him and myself even after all these years."

"Isn't that rather juvenile." Molly Weasley replied with a frown clearly upset that he dare to take charge of his own home which Sirius knew meant that she would be trouble but he would give her a chance to save her children.

"The man has spent the last four years taking out his anger about being bullied by James and myself on an eleven-year-old boy who he resents existing because he is proof that Lily Potter was his friend and not in love with him. I don't trust him and I won't have him in my house."

"The headmaster trusts him." Vance reluctantly pointed out.

"To be honest, I don't exactly trust the headmaster to have the best interest of my godson if he is still alive in his heart." Sirius sniped back. "Either way, these are the rules..."

Reading his notes, he said "I am in charge of the floo, the password and who may stay. Most of you are quite welcome to stay as food is more than plentiful and there are available rooms. However, let me make this very clear, especially to you, Molly. None of us are your children if you wish to give orders to others, stick to your four underage children. Your son Bill is an adult, it is his choice as to obeying you, same with your husband."

"None of the rest of us wish to hear your opinion on every single subject nor are we going to obey it just because you feel that you know what the headmaster wants to be done. And if I hear just once about you reporting what goes on in this house to the man, you and your entire family will be asked to leave. So think if the safety of your family is more important than your spying for the headmaster."

You could have heard a pin drop in the room as every single wizard and witch turned to look at the red-faced redhead who had placed her hands on her hips and was getting ready to shout at Sirius.

"Don't." That wizard warned. "No shouting, no thinking that you know what is best and feeling the need to offer your unsolicited opinion to adult witches and wizards about how to live their life. In fact, why don't you concentrate on your two youngest children."

"Young Ronald there still hasn't finished, hell from what I heard, he hasn't started a single summer school assignment yet and your daughter, Ginny, I have heard just about enough from you regarding your interest in my godson. If he is alive, I swear on my magic that I will do my very best to make sure that he ends up with any witch, any witch his age but yourself. The thought of you filling Lily Evans Potters footsteps with how I heard you describing Hermione Granger this afternoon makes me ill. That your parents haven't heard or reprimanded you for your attitude towards her makes me wonder about their own beliefs."

When Arthur looked his way, he told the man. "I will discuss this with you later. You, not your wife."

With that, he went through the list of rules such as they were regarding the library and certain books being off limits, with a look towards the twins, reminded them that what was inside the house belonged to him and that before it was removed from the house, his permission was needed. That nothing was to be thrown out without his approval.

"Finally, Molly, while I appreciate your efforts in the kitchen, if someone, mainly one of the adults decides that instead of eating what you might fix for dinner, they would prefer to cook something for themselves, they are allowed to. In other words, you do not control what goes on in my kitchen." Sirius stated then looking around at each and every single witch and wizard in the room added "All of you are my guests, this is my home, please respect this and understand that I am not being petty, I am not acting unstable. I am just rather tired of my wishes and desires being ignored in MY home."

* * *

Albus Dumbledore read the note handed to him by his Deputy Headmistress who told him "I have already sent Mr. Potter the badge along with his letter. If he was dead it would have come back to us by now. So, it appears he is still alive."

"I am going to have to straighten out, Mr. Black, this nonsense must stop. We have to be united or the darkness will win out." He replied. "And for this other nonsense, of threatening to go to the Board regarding the prefect positions, he has no standing, does he forget that he is a wanted fugitive."

"Albus, you are going to have to realize that this path you are on and trying to lead us on is going to lead to your utter ruin." Filius Flitwick announced from his seat nearest the fireplace. "Mr. Black has appointed his cousin who he reinstated into the family to take up his seat in the Wizengamot and on the Board at least when he untangles the mess created by Malfoy. By now the Ministry has surely received the paperwork from the ICW and the French federation. They are going to have to have a trial and a fair one since the French and Russians are sending observers."

"What's more, he is correct regarding Mr. Weasley and you know it. How you expect that boy who has no inclination towards hard work to be a prefect when he doesn't even finish his homework most of the time, I really don't know." Filius replied. "Now, I do have some news from my cousin Griphook."

Seeing Minerva looking his way, he said "The staff minus Severus, Hagrid as he refused to meet with them, yourself and strangely enough Sybil Trewlawny have been assured that once the qubit is lifted we will be allowed to access our accounts."

"So we are to regain our funds for the new year?" Albus inquired.

"That depends on the meeting between the Board and the Goblin King's representatives," Filius replied. "Severus will be sent his funds from his vault upon the end of the qubit and will be forced to use the common dwarves in Germany for his banking needs."

With a deep breath, Filius added "Your account is still under review, Albus. I was told that they will hand all findings to the Ministry at the end of the qubit. You should know, that at least a fourth of certain accounts have been seized. There is more, but Griphook would only say that all investigations have been frozen until after the meeting of the Wizengamot tomorrow."

* * *

Amelia Bones returned home, sank into her chair and thought about all that she had learned while looking through files that day. Delores Umbridge was done, tomorrow would only decide her punishment and with the Headmaster out from the position of Chief Warlock, he had no reason to be in attendance. She had been rather shocked to find out that his seat was only an honorary one, that he had been voting seats he held proxies for, not his own.

All she had learned that day either verified the information she had found in Cattermole's books, Umbridge's notes or what she had had long suspicions about.

Going to her room, she took the time turner out from her robes, turned it back and settled into her bed to sleep. After eight hours, she woke up, sat up and began to read the books remaining in the crate.

By the time she was finished, she had a whole series of questions that she needed answers to and no way of getting them minus a visit to the bank. Deciding that she had to take a chance, she looked at the clock and then grimacing as she realized her original self would be heading home soon, left and went to the bank.

Not expecting much, she hesitated then handed over the list of questions to the guards on the door and asked if there was someone who might be able to answer these questions before her meeting with the Wizengamot the next day.

She was soon seated in a small room across from a rather wizened old Goblin who said "Witch, why are you the first and only to be asking these questions?"

By the time eight hours had passed, Amelia Bones was weary, terrified and almost without hope when the small cup was placed in front of her. "This is the cup of Helga Hufflepuff?"

"It is, it contained one of those containers, our calculations show that several were created and all are flawed." The goblin announced. "We allowed this one to take over a condemned prisoner and then fed it to a dragon. Our magic showss that three of them were destroyed and that there are at least three inanimate ones and one animated one remaining."

"Thank you," Amelia replied as she looked in horror at the cup seated in front of her. "Four more you say?"

"Yes and we are not the only ones who were aware of their existence, your Hogwarts headmaster was and the one in your hand was located in the vault of Bellatrix Lestrange, a convicted death eater. The last person to be in this vault is her sister one Narcissa Black Malfoy."

Amelia was almost numb from the large number of answers she had obtained at the bank that day and she was once again thanking the goblin when she stood to leave. Only when she was at the door and about to exit did she hear "Madame Bones, no interest in pleading the case regarding your family vaults?"

Her eyes widened and she turned to respond. "This is an official Ministry visit, I would never presume to..."

"This honor is precisely why we were instructed to tell you that when the qubit is lifted, your accounts and your family accounts will be returned to you and that in an official capacity you shall receive a list of those accounts having been sanctioned or their owners banned from vaults in our bank."

* * *

In the Underground the next morning, Harry and Hermione were seated in the Throne room listening as the Goblin King explained what had been happening over the last forty-eight hours.

"Your Ministry has dealt with a witch who attempted to assassinate you Mr. Potter, she was sent to Azkaban this very evening. The former Undersecretary Umbridge has been sentenced to life in prison. They have also sent a more reasonable representative to speak to my subjects. A Madam Bones who has left the bank only minutes ago."

"What about the headmaster?" Harry asked.

"He is not willing to listen to anyone who insists on doing things that don't fit into his already set plan. Your godfather has taken up the charge of dealing with his guests staying at his home and has evicted a Mr. Snape."

Harry chuckled a bit at that one while Hermione asked. "What about the Weasleys and the others staying there."

"According to my spies, your godfather has set up the rules and while there are complaints as of this evening, no one else has left the large estate house. Your professors have been exonerated for the most part, minus a Mr. Hagrid who has refused to meet with the goblins, a Professor McGonagall who due to being the Deputy Headmistress is still under qubit and your headmaster who has wished to meet with us but refuses to do so on my terms. Your Divination teacher is to be allowed to keep her account but was warned that they intend to expose her as a fraud to your school Board of Governors at our meeting tomorrow."

"Oh, and you both received letters," Sarah said offering the letters from their school. Upon opening them, they saw the P's that stood for prefect and that they had each received one.

"I am going to return it, I don't wish the headmaster to think that I can be manipulated," Harry stated as he looked at the small badge.

"For the good of your classmates and the future of your country, you need to accept the badge, Harry," Jareth replied. Seeing the scowl on the young man's face, he said: "If you refuse, then it goes to Mr. Weasley in spite of his complete unsuitability to handling the task."

Harry turned to Hermione and said, "I know that you wish..."

"I was going to turn mine in since I knew a little of this from before I wished us away until his majesty stated what he did." She replied. Looking at the badge, she turned to the king and asked "Your Highness, do you really think we can make that much of a difference?"

"By the time you return, things will have changed in your world. I have my subjects dealing with the soul containers, you should be aware, Mr. Potter, that they have destroyed yet another one. So that is your scar, the Riddle journal and this Hufflepuff cup destroyed and we have located a crown in your school that I will have my goblins retrieve when we attend the meeting with your headmaster. They believe they know the location of at least two more and when it is applicable they will move in and retrieve them."

"There was one of those foul disgusting things in Hogwarts?" Sarah asked frowning as she looked at her finance. "Is there anything that this headmaster did correctly?"

"Not that we have found so far." He replied. "If you wish I will deliver your acceptance letters myself as there is someone at Hogwarts I wish to observe before my meeting with your headmaster."

Writing their acceptance letters and handing them to the King, Harry grinned at what the man offered and Hermione shook her head no before asking to return to the library.

"You may explore the library, Ms. Granger. Mr. Potter, please stay with Hoggle, the labyrinth is more dangerous than it looks." Jareth warned and then pressing a kiss to Sarah's lips, he changed into his owl form and took flight.

Sarah escorted Hermione to the library and then walked with Harry to the rose garden where she left the young boy with her old friend Hoggle who was unhappy with his new promotion to the Prince of the Bog of Stench.

Once the two teenagers were occupied, Sarah went off to speak to the goblins who had been tormenting those above, Jareth had refused to tell her how this was going other than to laugh wildly when he saw something in one of his crystals.

Hermione had settled down to read and felt the soft tingling she had felt while Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff had worked on her magic. Finding it impossible to sit, she closed the book and went to find someone to lead her to wherever Harry was in the maze.

Following a goblin, she saw Harry and stopped awed by what she was seeing. He was using wandless magic to play with the water in the fountain. "Wow, when did you start to do that?"

"A few minutes ago." He replied then told her to try it. Hermione closed her eyes, attempted to reach out to that tingling sensation she had felt before and when she opened her eyes found...nothing happening.

Frowning a bit and attempting to do so again, she pushed at her magic and once again nothing happened. "Oh! Hermione, step out of the way."

Hermione felt Harry grab her and to her shock, she saw him using his abilities to alter the water's direction and to put out a fire that had started in the bush behind her. "How did that happen?"

"I, I think that you did it, Hermione," Harry replied as he looked between her and the destroyed rose bush. Using his wand, Harry revived the rose bush and then reaching out for Hermione's hand, blushing a bit, he tucked it into his and began the walk back to the castle, hastily suggesting that they stop attempting to perform magic until they talked to the Goblin King.

The aboveground goblins greeted their king and filled him in on their discussion with Madame Bones. "So, the old manipulator is still trying to cover his tracks, what a pity that he needs to be exposed."

Jareth popped north to Scotland, changed back into his owl form and flew the remaining distance to Hogwarts. Landing in the office of the Deputy Headmistress, he listened to her amused chuckle at something Hermione had written and then made himself invisible just as the headmaster arrived.

"My magic told me that Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger accepted the badges." Jareth looked at the old man and watched and waited.

"Yes, and don't you dare try to manipulate Harry, Albus. He wrote that he considered turning the badge down but accepted out of fear of who else has been given a badge and the damage that could be done to his classmates if someone unsuitable were to be chosen if he turned the badge down."

Albus could work with this, this meant that Harry still worried about others more than himself. Yes, this could work out nicely, he thought to himself. "And the others?"

"Ms. Bones and Mr. MacMillian accepted, Mr. Goldstein and Ms. Patril also did. I think that Severus is making a mistake in allowing Mr. Malfoy to receive the badge for Slytherin, the same with Ms. Parkinson as Ms. Greengrass and Mr. Nott had better grades and fewer detentions."

"Now, now, Severus knows what he is doing," Albus replied. "I have also arranged for Mr. Shacklebolt to step in as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor since Madame Umbridge is now unavailable."

"Have you figured out how we are going to pay our employees or how we are going to be able to collect the tuition from our students when we have no access to the bank?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

"Time will prove fruitful." He serenely replied. "I am sure that when the goblins realize the damage that they are doing..."

"Albus..., you know what...nevermind." She said shaking her head in anger at his blind determination to ignore reality. "I have also been sent the password to attend the afternoon meeting at Grimmauld and the paper it was on self-destructed within seconds of my having read it."

Albus left the Transfiguration classroom, while he wasn't as serene as he pretended, he was certain that he would be able to influence this goblin king to see things his way, after all, why would a creature such as the king of the goblins work with someone like Tom Riddle who would wish to destroy him.

He had already reassured the Board of Governors that their presence was completely unnecessary for this meeting with this so-called King and they had agreed to let him deal with things in the best way he saw fit.

As for the rebelling Order of Phoenix members, he was sure that this was all from Sirius Black and he was intending on dealing with that annoyance when he attended that Wizengamot session that the International Confederation were observing, after all, he was still the Supreme Mugwump.

Arriving in his office and taking the floo to the Ministry, he was heading to speak to Cornelius Fudge when he overheard the news that four aurors had been killed two days before.

Annoyed to realize that no one had informed him of this fact, he strolled into the office of the head auror and demanded to know why he wasn't informed.

Rufus Scrimgeour looked up from his paperwork and suggested that the headmaster sit down. "As you are no longer Chief Warlock, we are not required to do so, Headmaster."

"In honor of all I have given to serve this Ministry, I deserved to be informed." He stated, his eyes were hard instead of their normal twinkling manner and Rufus was not a happy wizard.

"Sir, we have all given much to serve the Ministry of Magic, however, by the laws you yourself wrote, we can only inform those who need to know until a public announcement is made after the notification of the families. This is to take place this morning, you may attend this public meeting as just as any other public citizen."

Albus stood, then warned Rufus. "I am not someone to make an enemy of, Rufus. In this time of strife..."

"What strife, the goblin situation?" Rufus asked. "Fudge sent a better representative and the Ministry is going to get access to its accounts when the qubit is over, a treaty was signed with the goblins regarding its issues. Individual wizards and witches are also having these meetings with them and have come to an understanding with the goblins as to the new rules they are instituting with the vaults. If you had gone to your own meeting you would know this."

Albus was about to protest and say he had tried to meet with the goblins but merely swept out of the head aurors office to go find some of the Order of the Phoenix members who still worked at the Ministry.

* * *

Ragnok was working through the list of wizards, witches, and companies who had signed the new vault rules and then at those who had been found to be afoul of current rules. Most were fined and their remaining funds sent to their abodes if they refused to abide by their new rules, but there were still over a hundred and fifty families who had either not spoken to them as requested or who had no heirs.

Those accounts would have to be dealt with, but Ragnok's subordinates were coming up with some very uncomfortable numbers as they discovered a large number of irregularities in certain types of accounts.

"Sir, Mr. Nott is here for his meeting," Griphook told his boss.

"Send him to his meeting," Ragnok replied. "Afterward, I wish to speak to his account manager and yourself."

Theodore Nott Senior was not a well man, he had once fallen under the spell of a wizard, a very charismatic man and had made a very bad mistake. Thankfully, his son was of a more independent nature and the man who he had co-signed his soul to believed he would never father children so he had never been required to agree that offspring would bow to that very same wizard.

Now, he only had to get through this meeting and hope that his account manager never questioned as to why most of his family estate was in two vaults destined for his son and his son's trust vault.

Exiting the bank, a bit poorer and weak-kneed, knowing that there was a very good chance that if things went wrong, he would be going to his well-deserved end, he apparated to the estate of his former friend's son and was invited in.

"So?" Lucius Malfoy had none of his father's skills in diplomacy, only his skills at skulduggery and his wealth, but he had had the sense to avoid going to speak to the goblins himself until he had sent someone who as far as he was concerned was expendable.

"I was invited into a private room and met with my account manager. He explained that the Ministry and the goblins have come to a mutual understanding and that each account holder is to attend a meeting with their account representative and read the new agreement. If they are found within the former rules to be acceptable, they merely have to sign that they will conform to the new rules."

"Which are?"

"They are looking for dark objects that are being held in vaults against Gringott's rules," Nott replied. "I was found in violation as I was unaware that an object I had placed within mine was found to be dark. I paid a fine of 100 galleons and my accounts were charmed to be reopened upon lifting of the qubit."

"Who would be stupid enough to store dark objects in their vaults against Gringott's rules?" Lucius Malfoy asked scornfully, missing that several of his colleagues who were also in attendance had struggled to control their expressions or squirmed in their seats.

"I myself was found to have placed a piece of jewelry that was in violation of the rules, Malfoy." Nott pointed out. "Not all will have done so with knowledge of doing so. My own was a ring given to myself as a gift and that I could not destroy but did not wish for my wife to find."

Malfoy acknowledged this and then asked "The new rules?"

"They seemed aimed at the light side, not against our own people. Pureblood wizards and witches have always ensured that wills are kept up to date and that our progeny is trained in how to handle their accounts."

This caught Malfoy off guard as he felt a slow smile come to his face. "So, this is aimed at Dumbledore's lackeys, is it?"

"Very specific rules are now in place about violating the sanctity of having another vault holder's key, regarding heirs and when they are to be informed of their heritage, rules regarding unclaimed vaults."

"Do the goblins wish to claim these vaults?" Malfoy inquired, his gray eyes flashing in anger.

"No, they are requiring a hunt for the heirs and the use of blood magic to locate who will inherit the vault which Dumbledore has done so much to make illegal," Nott replied. "There is also a provision regarding muggleborns that I find interesting."

"Tell us," Malfoy replied while the others stayed quiet, content to let the two contentious wizards face off.

"There were pureblood children who have gone missing over the years, we all know that they were thought to be squibs and that their parents sent them to the muggle world instead of ending their lives," Nott replied then with a nod towards Goyle Senior, who all were aware had sent off five children as squibs until his latest son Greg was found to have enough magic to attend Hogwarts.

"And?"

"Most might not have been squibs," Nott said and heard the roar of protests and complaints. "Let me finish."

The complaints continued for several minutes then Malfoy took control. "Nott, what are you avoiding telling us?"

"Squibs have children with muggles and they are often magical." He replied. Hearing the gasps, he said, "There is more, the headmaster has known that unlike what we have long believed about magic spontaneously appearing in mudbloods, they are from our bloodlines."

This set the chaos off again and Lucius Malfoy began to send calming charms to his guests and then when they had settled down looked at Nott and asked: "And this matters why?"

"Think, Malfoy." He said intently and seeing the blond didn't get it, he said with a cold laugh. "We wish to take control, to ensure that our ways are returned and this is how we do that. Unlike what we have been led to believe, these mudbloods aren't new magic, they are our very own bloodlines...bloodlines..."

Lucius Malfoy found it hard to get past the idea of muggle tainted bloodlines then it hit him. "Bloodlines?"

"Bloodlines," Nott said with a cold smile. "We need to find out who is related to who and what the goblins are after coincides with our desires. If we can prove this, it shuts down all of Dumbledore's plans regarding Hogwarts classes, his ridiculous rules regarding when and how muggleborns are educated and the laws in the Ministry."

Malfoy was cautious as he asked. "Will the goblins work with us?"

"We need to gain their trust by settling our accounts under the qubit, but this might be the very way to deal with that double-dealing, manipulative bastard," Nott replied thinking on returning to the old magical ways when they weren't forced to accept muggle holidays and muggle ways. He had nothing against the holidays, he just resented being forced to hid that he preferred the old ways to celebrate around those same times.

"It appears that this is something we need to take to our master," Macnair said from his spot at the table. "What about the boy?"

"I don't know," Malfoy replied. "The Dark Lord has his doubts but I spoke to a contact at the Ministry and though they don't think that Umbridge's plan worked, they do believe that something that happened in the muggle world might have ended the boy. Until we have confirmation, we act as if he is alive."

* * *

Severus Snape was fingering the note in his hands, while part of him raged in anger at what Black had written, another part, the one that desperately wished to escape teaching and this miserable country, hoped that the mutt succeeded.

While the others were scurrying around, looking for the boy, Severus had heard the Know It All's words and was almost certain that Harry Potter was now a goblin, which meant that he was safe from the dark lord which fulfilled his oath to Lily. That he surely no longer looked like James Potter was merely an added bonus.

He shuddered his mind on the man wearing black leather who had once appeared to him. He had once wished away someone he loved and he was the only person who remembered his sister Gaia. He had been desperate to protect his younger sister from their drunken father and he had wished her to safety.

When the blond fae had arrived in his owl form and then had listened impassively as he hastily asked him to protect his sister, he had turned down his offer to take him with him, Severus believing that he had to stay to protect his mother and he knew that he wasn't ever going to be attractive but the thought of being a goblin was even scarier.

That boy, that earnestly eager ten-year-old who had been offered the world, offered his dreams has thought about the crystal and then had told the fae king that all he dreamed for was his sister safe, his friendship with Lily Evans and a way to succeed in a career path.

He had been given just that but had managed to ruin it all on his own six years later by insulting Lily after being humiliated by James Potter and his friends. He had already been friendly with the future death eaters and had soon immersed himself into their world.

He had saved Gaia, but lost Lily and now owed her son a debt of honor, once that had been fulfilled, he could move to wherever he wished and create potions to his heart's contentment, avoiding all humans, muggle and magical for all as long as he desired. But first, that meant surviving the war between his two unwanted masters and he had long held serious doubts of his ability to do that.

* * *

Augusta Longbottom who was the current head of the Hogwarts Board of Governors looked at those gathered in her parlor and then at the notes that all of them had received. 

A hard expression was on her face as she grimaced at those she had invited into her home in spite of never wishing to speak to a few of them outside of an official capacity at Wizengamot meetings or Board meetings. This get-together was instigated by the Goblins when she had gone to speak to them regarding her family and personal accounts. An hour later, she had sent off the invites and was now torn between duty and anger.

Anger took hold when Calgor Greengrass questioned if she had been part of the headmaster's plan. "Do you really think that I would send you an invite to my own home if I was part of this disaster?"

Calgor flushed but Ernst Boots was in a combative mood and determined to create strife. "How do we know you didn't?"

"Are you two that moronic that you don't see the headmaster's own insidious and devious little magical fingerprints all over this scheme?" Griselda Marchbanks asked. When they turned towards her, she shook her index finger in their faces and snapped for them to sit down and shut up. "I am sure that Augusta didn't bring us here for her health."

"When I received my own letter from the headmaster, I had already spoken to the goblins and had agreed to attend the Board of Governors meeting. His letter stating that all of you had decided to leave things in his capable hands came across as if I didn't agree with what he claimed you had, I was being nothing more than an interfering busybody." She stated.

"Well this is one interfering busybody who fully intends to be at this meeting and unlike what the headmaster is claiming it is not at the bank, but in Hogsmeade at the Three Broomsticks in a private room." She stated with a scowl as she used her wand to toss the note she had received into her lit fireplace. "I would suggest that all of you attend as well." 

* * *

At the house on Grimmauld Place, Minerva McGonagall was shocked at the sight of three International Aurors seated at the dining room table with their wands pointed at Molly Weasley whose face was bright red and shouting at them. 

"What in the name of Merlin, is going on here?" She demanded as she exited the fireplace floo. "Molly Prewett Weasley stop that caterwauling this instant."

The redheaded witch looked her way and then at the fireplace behind her asking "Where is the headmaster?"

"I have no idea. Now, I suggest that you explain yourself." Minerva snapped.

"This, this woman tried to poison us." A slender looking man with a sharply defined mustache and pointy nose stated as he glared at Molly.

"Gustav is correct, we are required as part of our training to check all food and drink we consume while on enemy soil for potions and this stew contains a dreamless sleeping potion and our coffee has an oblivation potion in it."

Sirius Black who returned from answering the front door groaned and then looking at Arthur and Emmaline Vance who he had just let in, announced "Molly has been demanding that I do not go to the Ministry tomorrow in spite of my having been given safe passage and that these aurors are here to protect me. She keeps claiming that the headmaster said to keep me here at all costs in spite of my warnings on the subject."

Minerva moved forward just as Molly tried to knock over the first bowl of stew. She stunned the witch and then using her wand checked the contents of the beef stew. Looking at Arthur, she shook her head and told the man "The potions that they claim are in their stew are there."

"Oh, Molls." Arthur shook his head. "She left the house today and went back to the Burrow supposedly for Ron's books. I should have gone myself. I will contact Albus. Gentlemen, I am sorry and I promise that this will never happen again."

"Sir, your wife has committed a crime against an International Auror which could be constituted as an attack against our national interests. This can not be swept under the rug as you Brit's say with an I am sorry and a promise it won't ever happen again. She must be taken into custody and questioned by the very laws that we are required to enforce."

Minerva looked at Emmaline who suddenly looked between the stew and then at Molly before looking at Arthur and said: "I am sorry to be bringing this us now, but Arthur, last night, after several days of feeling an odd attraction to your son Bill, I went to be tested..."

The redhead groaned and looked at his wife then at Minerva McGonagall and Sirius. "The last few days, she kept trying to give Tonks cups of coffee, I saw her handing them to you."

"Yes, Tonks didn't wish to hurt Molly's feelings because she makes the coffee too strong for her." Emmaline replied then looking at Arthur said "She wanted to pair Tonks with your son and you knew it."

Arthur slowly shook his head and admitted: "Not that she was attempting to potion Tonks, but that she was against Bill's relationship with Ms. Delacour and that she felt Tonks shouldn't be dating Remus Lupin because of his infirmity."

"Mr. Black as this is your home, we are required to question you about this as well." The Belgium auror stated.

"You may do so at any time though, I have my own questions regarding Molly Weasley and potions. Arthur, I suggest that you pack your remaining family up and move home. I am going to allow Bill to stay but I think it is time to take the rest home." Sirius was emotionally exhausted. He had tried to deal with Molly Weasley but she kept going behind his back and creating more and more problems every time he let down his guard.

Gustav called for two of his colleagues and sent Molly in handcuffs through the floo to the part of the British Ministry that they had taken over temporarily and sent a message to the head auror of the British Ministry while speaking to Minerva McGonagall who joined them.

Back at Grimmauld, Arthur had been furious with his youngest children who were insisting on staying, to the point that he had angrily admitted what their mother had done and that she couldn't stop them from being told to go.

"But-" Ron tried to protest but his father's glare quieted him down.

"Dad, I will go to with you while you take them home so that you can go to the Ministry afterward," Bill said as he entered the upper corridor. He used magic to pack up a protesting Ginny's valise and trunk, then did the same for Ron's before finding that the twins had already done the same.

Downstairs Sirius was speaking to Bill, stating that he was sorry but that this time Molly had crossed the line. When Bill went to the floo, he found himself unable to cross through with Ginny. "What is going on?"

The curse-breaker saw the teal color of the flames and then removing the trunk and valise in his pocket sent the trunk through with no problem but the valise once again was rejected.

"Ginny, what do you have in your valise?" He asked rather curious as to why it showed a blood barrier when his sister had gone through with their mother earlier that day.

"Nothing." She replied with a nervous glance at her brothers. "I swear, nothing that I don't normally have."

Bill used a revealing charm and groaned at what came floating out of the valise. A Harry Potter Quidditch jersey and a locket with some black hair and even a used handkerchief landed on the table. "Ginny?"

Bill looked at Sirius and the two wizards grimly explained that for some reason the floo had been restricted against use by Harry, more than likely something that the headmaster had put upon it when they had moved into the Headquarters at the beginning of summer. "I hadn't removed it only because I had forgotten about it."

"Ms. Weasley, I would like an explanation for these items." One of the aurors asked while Arthur moved forward to stand next to his underage daughter.

She flushed and stammered and then admitted "I took the Quidditch Jersey when I saw he had outgrown it last year. It's not like he can wear it. Besides, he doesn't even know it is missing."

"And the hair and handkerchief?"

She muttered something and Bill who had sensitive ears due to having to understand gobbledygook deciphered what she said and looked at his dad and said: "She wants to get a hold of some potions ingredients and let's just say that she needs a good talking to, dad."

"Sir, these components she has have many uses including love potions, they will be remaining here and I suggest that in view of your wife's lawlessness, you have a very long talk with your daughter." The auror Philippe stated. "I have also been given to understand that this young lady owes Mr. Potter a life debt, I would explain how what she had planned would affect that."

Ron was grumbling about Ginny's stupidity as he went through the floo to his home, soon followed by his sister and father who ordered Ron and Ginny to sit down at the kitchen table.

Back at Grimmauld, the twins sighed and looking at one another, opened their trunks and removed a small sack and handed it over to Sirius. "We were going to use these for ingredients for our pranks."

Sirius opened the sack and looked through then told the twins. "I will double check to make sure that there is nothing dangerous, but I told you at the time, if you came to me first, I would consider allowing you certain items. I will be holding these until you have apologized as well."

Emmaline Vance took a seat at the table and then looking at Sirius said "I had my meeting with the goblins today, it went as well as could be expected. However, Amelia Bones has suspended me from duty because of my membership in the order, just like you warned me."

"Emmaline, you like most of the magicals in our world are complacent and believe that you know everything or that Albus Dumbledore holds all the answers. Neither is true, I had to learn that lesson the hard way by spending years in Azkaban for a crime I didn't commit, don't follow in my path." He suggested then after a few words with the aurors agreed to their suggestion.

An hour later, a dozen pizzas were on the kitchen table being consumed when Remus Lupin and Tonks entered via the floo. Tonks had already been contacted by the International Aurors and was not in a good mood as she looked at her cousin. "I sent my resignation to Dumbledore, I refuse to be part of the same group as that, that woman."

Emmaline looked up from where she was seated at the table and then pulled out the note she had written. "I was going to owl it this evening."

Remus Lupin had had a long day, he had gone to Little Whinging and had been in court for the preliminary trial of the Dursleys. When he had met Tonks at the pub, she had filled him in on what they had found out about Molly Weasley and now he had even more news that was going to upset Sirius.

He had just taken out his notes when there was the sound of a large gong and then that annoying house-elf Kreacher could be heard shrieking at someone calling them a thief. 

When they arrived, they saw Doge seated on top of the stairs, trying to escape the small house elf. The wizard looked bewildered as he held a small sack above his head and called down for Sirius. "I was emptying the trash that Molly gathered and left in the room I was staying in. That creature just attacked me and kept trying to take the sack away from me screaming something about your brother."

"Hand me the bag," Sirius said and when he had untied the sack and dumped it, he saw several items that he had no idea existed. "Doge, you saw Molly Weasley with a bag?"

"Yes, she was in the library cleaning and came out with it, muttering about black magic and how it was unsafe to be in this house," Doge replied. "She asked if I was staying tonight and went up to clean me out a room."

"Stay, you are fine, but you should know, Molly was told to stay out of the library and not touch anything in there. Now, Kreacher, I want you to tell me what in this bag belongs to Regulus."

"Nothing." The dirty house elf muttered. "Nothing belongs to Mr. Regulus."

"Then if I were to throw everything in this out?" He asked. "What would you think needed to be kept?"

The house elf began muttering again and then he glared at Sirius Black and then said: "I promised Mr. Regulus I would destroy that locket but I didn't know how to do so."

Sirius felt the darkness of the locket the second he lifted it and then looking at the remainder of the items Molly had removed without his permission saw family books and then knelt down. "Kreacher, were you spying on the redheaded woman when she was in the library, yes or no?"

"Yes, I watched loud-mouthed blood traitor woman." He sneered. "Does not belong touching those things, not her, not ever." 

"For once, Kreacher, you and I agree. I want you to locate everything she has removed that once belonged to a member of the Black family and I want you to pack up everything in her room and remove anything that she has that belongs to the Black family in any way." He ordered then when the house elf had left, looked at the aurors present and stated. "Dora, go through and bring back Ragnok from the bank. Tell him that I think I just found what he was looking for."

"You think that the head of Gringotts is just going to come through on my request, you must be crazy," Tonks answered.

"Just tell him what I said," Sirius replied then looking at those still in the kitchen, suggested that they not touch the locket.

"Mr. Black, what is that?" The International Auror asked.

Sirius just shook his head and stared in disgust as he awaited the return of his cousin and the leader of the bank.

Within minutes the head of Gringotts came through and took one look at the locket and smiled which had every single one of the wizards and witches shaking in their boots. "Mr. Black, you shall have a reward at the end of this."

"I just want my godson back." He quietly replied and watched as the goblin called for two security goblins who carried a large black cast iron box which they opened and dropped the locket inside.

When they had left, Sirius told those remaining "I have been sworn to secrecy but when this is all over, I will tell you the tale, let's just say that we are one step closer to eliminating a certain dark lord problem."

* * *

Harry and Hermione were both reading thick books in the library, having been given a copy of a book about what potential magical talents they would have and how to figure out which ones they could access.

Hermione was reading about mind magic when she heard Harry chuckling. "What?"

He looked up and let a slightly louder chuckle. "Sorry, was just recalling those fieries and your reaction to their wishing to remove your head."

Hermione was a bit offended at first then with a wry smirk thought about how she had set the strange looking creature on fire and how it had thanked her. The goblin king had been amused then had brought them back to the castle after testing her magic and then had given both of them copies of the book of magical talents.

"Hey, get this, all four founders were animagus'," Harry said from where he was reading. "Plus, they were all skilled at the ability to read minds. I wonder how they did that?"

"It's called legilimency. Its also been declared illegal by the headmaster when he was appointed to the position as the chief warlock." Hermione replied. "It's opposite is called occlumency."

Harry was reading about what exactly the mind magics were and had a realization. "Hermione, I think that the headmaster has the ability to perform at the very least legilmency, I think he has used it on me."

Hermione closed her book and thought about it then with a grimace replied "I am sure you are right. I wonder what other magic he has declared illegal and has still performed himself."

Opening his book back up, Harry frowned as he read what the side effects were from attempts at mind reading. He was almost willing to bet that it wasn't only the headmaster who knew how to perform this magic, but that Severus Snape also was skilled at it. Deciding to learn how to do this type of magic, he looked up at Hermione, found himself getting distracted by the light bouncing off her curls.

When she looked up to catch him watching her, Harry blushed and looked down at his book, not really reading but gathering his composure as he found himself once again amazed that she was his friend, let alone his potential girlfriend.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Rosemerta was stunned as she took in the blindingly handsome and aristocratic wizard who had taken over her meeting room. As she tore herself away from staring at the handsome man directing the goblins how he wished the room to be set up, she completely forgot Albus Dumbledore's request to be notified when someone came to set up for this meeting.

In the room, the goblin king was directing his subjects on what he wished regarding the room set up and the agenda to be kept in their hands and to be passed out to specific wizards as they entered the room.

Next, he placed the crystal ball with Harry and Hermione's memories nearby so that he could touch them to recall certain moments when he needed to be accurate. With a slight smirk, he took the throne-like chair he had found in the meeting room that he was certain the headmaster would attempt to claim as his own and then placed the Goblin's records of his malfeasance directly in front of himself.

When his secret guests arrived, he saw the sour-looking man who was standing off to the side, well aware that he had wished away his own sister as a child, even if he had done so to protect her, the man had never done anything about his bitterness and would have done well if he had at least attempted to run the labyrinth, it would have taught him what he needed to live a better life. 

The goblins performed the magic needed on the quartet and they went invisible, with the Goblin King truly hoping that they learned something this evening, or he would have to make some very serious changes that he hoped he wouldn't have to.

As the wizards and witches entered the room, he stood aloof, watching as the goblins greeted the wizards in terse but polite tones as they introduced him as the representative of the goblins, which he knew from reading most of their minds, the above ground magicals took to mean a solicitor or similar.

* * *

Arthur Weasley was sickened as he listened to his wife's explanation of what she had done and why after the ICW representatives had cleared Sirius Black of any wrongdoing in regards to what his wife had attempted.

Thankfully, the head of the International courts felt that his wife had been brainwashed by the headmaster and was considering leniency if Molly agreed to never create a potion again and to have her magic bound for six weeks as punishment, which could have been much, much worse.

Arthur had been horrified to learn that if she was convicted on all counts, his wife could have been facing not only charges in regards to poisoning in regards to her attempt to drug the International aurors, but line theft in regards to their own son as well as for attempting to use a love potion which International law considered equal to using the Imperious curse on someone, and subverting the course of justice in regards to Sirius Black.

As he tried to reason with her, he found himself wearily agreeing with the head of the International aurors that his wife was brainwashed, because surely she really didn't mean to allow herself to be convicted on these crimes when all she had to do was admit that she was wrong and confess. Surely she understood that unless she agreed to their deal she would be going to Azkaban Prison for at least five years on each charge.

Looking at the clock, reminded once again that he had sent an owl to the headmaster over four hours ago, he couldn't help feeling like the greatest wizard since Merlin himself had abandoned his family to the wayside to protect his own reputation.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was feeling supremely confident as he entered the Three Broomsticks that evening. Molly was handling the unwanted aurors as he had asked, which meant that he would soon regain control of his own group that Sirius Black had upended.

The Minister had floo called him earlier that day asking for him to attend the morning session of the Wizengamot, meaning that he was back where he belonged and would soon be able to deal with those who had dared to oppose him.

He had things under control at Hogwarts, well almost, he would find a way to work around Harry being appointed a prefect. He also had a plan to test him again this year and was already thinking about maybe giving Severus his dearest dream of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts for Harry's sixth year.

Now, he just had to deal with these goblins and this upstart goblin king who clearly had not paid attention to history and didn't realize that war with the wizards was not in their best interests. He was already thinking that a small reversal of their fortunes would work best, maybe insist that all wills be filed with the Ministry instead of both with the Ministry and the bank. Yes, that would work nicely and he wouldn't have to deal with them when he needed to FIX things.

With a twinkle in his eyes and a small smile on his face, he walked past the barmaid Rosemerta and into the large private room she kept in the back. He was a few minutes late, intending to remind the creatures who exactly was in charge.

As he used his wand to open the door, he entered calling out "Good evening, I do apologize but my Board of Governors had other commitments."

Those inside, turned to look at the wizard who had stopped just inside the entryway, his eyes no longer twinkling and his smile falling off his face when he saw the entire Board of Governors were seated on one side of the long table now placed in the center of the room and on the other side was a group of goblins wearing what looked like muggle suits.

"We decided that it was more important to be here, so I insisted that everyone free themselves of any other commitments, Albus, please be seated." Augusta Longbottom suggested.

Albus wasn't happy, not by a long shot as he strolled down the table, past the board and stood at the head of the table where there was a man seated in what was usually his seat. "Excuse me."

The foreign-looking slender looking man wearing muggle clothes never looked up as he kept speaking to the head goblin in gobbledygook.

"My dear man, I do believe you are seated in my seat." No response, the man didn't even have the courtesy to end his conversation. "It is rather rude to be having a conversation that no one else can understand, perhaps you might consider speaking English."

This got a reaction as the man looked up and for the first time, Albus saw his strange looking eyes which were now scowling at him before the man returned to his conversation with the goblin seated to his right.

"Albus, just take that seat, the one next to Madame Marchbanks." Augusta crossly ordered.

"I will not allow some upstart to sit in what is my rightful seat, it sets a bad precedent," Albus stated.

When he pulled his wand with the intent of moving the annoying nobody, he found two very sharp axes pointed at his neck and the man seated in his chair stood and turned to face him. "You were told to take the seat next to Madam Marchbanks, as punishment for your arrogance, I think that it would be more appropriate for you to lose your seat at the table. Goblins set him up with a chair in the corner. If he chooses to act like a child, treat him like one."

To the shock of the board and the loud amusement of Griselda Marchbanks, the chair next to her changed from a plush upholstered chair to a hard oak one and it was now facing the farthest corner.

Dumbledore found himself fuming as he moved to that chair upon threat of the ax. When he tried to change the chair back into something more comfortable, the chair changed into a stool and he heard more chuckles this time from about half the board who were now staring at him and pointing.

"When the remaining invitees have arrived, we will begin this meeting, Madam Longbottom, I have a request to send a note to your grandson and would like to request that it remain unopened until it is in his hands."

The headmaster was not happy to notice that all in the room were deferring to this younger man who for some unknown reason was now in charge. There was a knock on the door and to his surprise, Nott Senior and Lucius Malfoy entered the room and were directed to be seated at the end of the table. Narcissa Malfoy had come in with them and was told to be seated on the comfortable settee in the corner.

It looked as if Narcissa Malfoy was about to protest but something changed her mind as she found herself obeying the strange looking but handsome man whose hair if it was possible was whiter than her husband's.

"Now that we are all gathered, let's be clear, this meeting is for one purpose only, to deal with the problems that the goblins have with the accounts being accessed at the bank by the man currently the headmaster of Hogwarts and what needs to be changed."

Lucius Malfoy who was a man who understood the importance of words and who could feel the magical power emanating from the wizard was certain that he had missed something with how this man seated at the head of the table said them. "Who am I addressing?"

There was silence and then the man turned to Augusta Longbottom and said: "We shall start with the accounts that are used to pay your teachers, your auxiliary staff, and your board." 

"We don't receive any remittance," Augusta replied.

"Our records show that each time the Board of Governors meets, a sum of 1000 galleons is removed from the Hogwarts accounts, the funds are labeled payment for Board of Governors," Ragnok replied handing over the ledger pages tied to this account. 

"I was under the belief that payments ceased under the direction of former headmaster Dippet." Hogwarts Historian Bagshot announced. "It is in Hogwarts a History."

"Just because you publish it in a book, doesn't make it true," Marchbanks stated and looking at the vault number listed asked the goblins who had been receiving the funds.

"It appears that this was a slush fund that the former headmaster created and with his death, it has been still receiving the funds. It now contains over a million galleons." Upon hearing the chattering of the board, Ragnok held up his hand and when they ignored him at first, Longbottom banged her gavel. "However, it cannot be distributed to the current board as there is an issue with your legitimacy."

"Excuse me?" The head of the Greengrass family was not a happy wizard at this comment. "Explain yourself."

"Gladly, you were appointed by others on the board when a vacancy would appear but this isn't what is required by the Hogwarts Charter and I have repeatedly sent notes regarding this to the Headmaster since his appointment by yourselves."

"What does this charter say, and how is possible that the goblins have the charter for Hogwarts when it went missing over a century ago?" Madame Marchbanks asked.

"The goblins don't merely have a copy of the charter, we helped write the charter and acted as it's bonder." The arrogant but strangely elegant man announced. "The charter is located in the ward stone room at your school, it has to be otherwise, the castle would have gone into lockdown. So I would suggest that it has been merely covered up for some reason. We will gladly send you a copy of the charter when we open the vault belonging to Godric Gryffindor. His heir has been located."

Albus tried to speak but was furious to realize that he had been silenced and that he was also unable to move his hands to gain possession of his wand as he faced the corner line an errant schoolboy.

"Now, regarding the positions of the Board of Governors, they are required to be the closest magical descendants of the four founders. I have done some research and we have found that there are twelve witches and wizards who are to be appointed to these positions."

There was some grumbling from the current board, so Jareth waited for them to finish and then announced "Now, the man known as Tom Riddle aka Lord Voldemort, aka He Who Must Not Be Named, claims to be a descendant of Merope Gaunt whose family claims to be direct descendants of Salazar Slytherin, which is false the records we have shown that there are no direct descendants alive." 

Nott and Malfoy struggled not to look at one another as they tried to figure out what was going on, why when this wizard's power was so obvious, he didn't realize how strong the dark lord was.

"There are cadet lines, all of which have minor connections to the Slytherin bloodlines, including one of your previous professors, Headmaster." Jareth saw the twinkling was gone from the old man's eyes and that instead, they had gone wide. "I do believe that you were informed of this fact when this young man was a student. In fact, you cleaned out his family vault and claimed to do so for him."

"Who?" Greengrass rather rudely demanded.

Jareth looked at the overweight magical and announced "Remus Lupin, he is a descendant through his maternal grandmother's bloodlines. There are also two current Hogwarts students whose family connects back to the Salazar bloodlines that fit the criteria to qualify. Your daughters, Mr. Greengrass, but it is through their mother's bloodline, which means that she may hold the seat, but you may not unless she appoints you as her proxy."

"My wife passed away when the girls were young," Greengrass announced dismissing the information about the werewolf.

"Then the seat will have to remain in your family, she will have to appoint a proxy and payment will be taken, but only going forward, no past redress is to be given," Jareth stated. "Now the third line comes from the Nott family, more specifically your line of the Nott family, Theodore Senior. The Prewett line is fourth in line but they are more distantly connected and only come into play were your line to end."

Nott winced, he had hidden that for years, since learning of the claims of Tom Riddle and now it was public knowledge which meant moving up the plans for his son's protection.

With that, Jareth moved onto the descendants of Helga Hufflepuff. "The Hufflepuff line was rather more active and there are several families that qualify as descendants, including your head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement Madame Bones, the Smith family which is a rather common name I was given to understand which is what might have lead to their confusion, the Diggory family, the MacMillians and your own Head of House, Madame Sprout. The MacMillian and the Smiths in spite of their loud direct claims to those bloodlines are minor connections, so the appointment would be through the Bones, Diggory and Sprout families."

When Historian Bagshot claimed to have Hufflepuff blood, Jareth looked at her and said: "Yes, you have the bloodline, but not enough to hold the seat you have claimed."

The elderly witch was about to protest when Jareth raised his hand and said "Enough, the castle has the proof. Ask the sorting hat which line has truer claims if you insist on proof."

"Now, moving onto the line of Ravenclaw, that proves a bit more troublesome to find direct heirs but there are a few," Jareth announced. Looking at the headmaster, he shook his head and announced. "During the qubit, we looked into why there were so many inert vaults and found that your headmaster has banned all proof that certain blood magic can prove your family connections, which is a crime against magic itself because you can use hair instead of blood itself to run the tests."

There was some muttering at this surprise and some sour looks thrown towards Albus who was furious at this upstart daring to announce what he has long kept quiet.

"However, we have the original bloodlines refreshed due to the qubit and have proof of who has the bloodlines to the Ravenclaw lines. Madame Marchbanks, your family has several squibs that have produced what your kind call muggleborn wizards and witches, including a wizard by the name of Edward Tonks who has right to claim the seat."

"Young Teddy is a Marchbanks, how is it I didn't know?" She demanded. "I would know."

"Your niece gave birth while hiding out during the war with Grindelwald but the previous headmaster, Dippet was concerned because the father of her child was an American Wizard. He had an old grudge against magicals from that part of the world, so he hid all proofs and then when young Ted came to attend Hogwarts, the current headmaster was sent paperwork from Gringotts. As per his appointment as all so-called muggleborn students magical guardian, the headmaster claimed the young man's key and the vault was eventually closed with all funds withdrawn and placed in an account labeled Order of the Phoenix same as the Lupin funds."

There were some gasps and glares at this knowledge, which had Jareth adding helpfully. "This seems to have been a pattern that lasted up to the death of James and Lily Potter and their iron-clad will, which kept the headmaster from being able to loot the Potter accounts, in spite of the wrongful jailing of Harry Potter's magical godfather, Sirius Black who was innocent of the crimes he committed."

The goblins handed out blacked out copies of the Potter's will and all saw the pertinent information and that had even more of those gathered to look at the headmaster with disgust.

"Young Harry has never seen his parent's will and has never had the standard visit to the bank that all heirs get upon their eleventh birthday," Ragnok announced and even Malfoy who loathed the boy turned to glare at the unrepentant headmaster who fumed at not being allowed to tell his side of the story.

"The Blacks are also part of the Ravenclaw family line but were banned from inheriting from it due to the fact that they descend from Helena Ravenclaw who stole her mother's diadem. Until such a time as it has been returned, they are qubit."

"Now the other two Ravenclaw families are minor connections but there is one who has a closer claim to being the direct heir to Rowena Ravenclaw herself. She is a powerful enough witch to bend the sorting hat to stop herself from being put in the house of her ancestor and into another house."

"The young woman is a direct line descendant from Rowena Ravenclaw isn't a surprise, in fact, the castle itself informed the headmaster that he had two direct bloodline heirs in the castle and he ignored it." Jareth saw the anger in the headmaster's tensing body and shaking his head announced. "Your headmaster is fighting against fate itself and is determined to do things his way for his so-called Greater Good which is why things have gone so haywire this year."

"Who is it?" Nott inquired.

"Hermione Jane Granger, incoming fifth year Gryffindor," Jareth announced. "Her biological father was a wizard who ended up suffering from amnesia during the last war and he managed to recall his friendship at age six with a girl named Emma who didn't get a letter to Hogwarts and was declared a squib, her family sent her to the muggle world after removing all memories of the magical one."

"Granger?" Longbottom asked. "My grandson is friends with a girl named Granger."

"Young Neville is friends with her and also her second cousin via your brother Augustine, Madam Longbottom," Ragnok stated.

"Oh dear, I was thinking..." She flushed as everyone gathered what she had been thinking. "I guess, I will have to guide him to another potential bride."

"Yes, that would be best considering Ms. Granger is fated to be married to the direct heir of the Gryffindor line." Jareth offered.

Lucius Malfoy felt a bit better about his son's grades, and his lack of ability to do better than the Granger chit, clearly it was her bloodlines that made her better than his son.

"Direct line to the Gryffindor line?" One of the directors asked.

"Yes, there are four family lines that descend directly from the bloodlines, which include the Potters, the Perevells who married into the Potter line, the Longbottoms and of course the Woods."

Narcissa was carefully memorizing the family names, knowing that depending on what happened in the war, those names would be important to their son's life. She was surprised to find out her family was connected to the Ravenclaw line if anything she would have expected them to be connected to the Slytherin, but the news that the Granger girl was the direct bloodline descendant to the line was quite the shock.

"Now, one last thing, the death of Mr. Potter was greatly exaggerated and he will be returning to Hogwarts this fall," Jareth announced and saw the way the headmaster relaxed but how the two death eaters had tensed up. "As a direct descendant of the Gryffindor line and the controller of the Slytherin line because of his mother's connections to the Nott line, he..."

"What?"

There was chaos at this news and shaking his head, Jareth sat back allowing himself to observe those who were acting up. When they quieted down, he announced. "When Lily Evans Potter rejoined the magical world, she was sent an announcement via the headmaster, just like others before her, asking her to come to Gringotts to test her bloodlines, she is a direct descendant of your brother, Cesar Nott."

Theodore Nott Senior was surprised at this news but from the way that the headmaster was struggling to fight against the magic holding him in line, he wasn't.

"Mrs. Potter upon the threat made against her son came to the bank and was tested at that time while six month's pregnant, mainly because she had gained a skill that she was rather surprised at, the ability to speak to snakes and other reptiles."

"Mr. Potter is a parseltongue," Malfoy announced with a frown on his face.

"Yes, and it is because he is also a descendant of Salazar Slytherin. Young Potter has several magical gifts, the result of his mother's bloodline getting infused with fresh blood from the outside, which makes him a very strong wizard, doesn't it headmaster?"

All eyes went to the headmaster then came back to the stranger who announced. "I am sure that all of you have heard the tales of Mr. Potters time here at Hogwarts, but in case you haven't..."

With that, he filled them in on Quirrellmort, detention in the Forbidden Forest, a staff member smuggling in a dragon and the way that the students had turned on Mr. Potter for doing the right thing. "And what was his reward for defending himself against the plotting and manipulation of the headmaster and the attempted murder committed by his DADA professor, why house points and the whole thing swept under the rug."

"In his second year, he once again faced bullying from his classmates and a diary cursed by Riddle himself, had to defeat a basilisk that took down his closest friend and had to rescue a silly girl who foolishly wrote in a diary that wrote back, add that to once again the DADA professor attempting to kill him. His reward, why Mr. Malfoy there, a grown wizard trying to kill him. Strangely enough, once again, nothing was done and everything including that an eleven-year-old girl almost returned Riddle back to form was swept under the rug."

There were some uncomfortable eyes as he looked at them and then announced. "His third year, he found his innocent godfather, and the minister himself accused him of being confounded and of being a liar when he told the truth and his witness who hated the godfather lied knowing that the minister was about to have dementors administer a kiss to an innocent man. How did the headmaster deal with it, he sent two thirteen-year-olds out with a time turner to rescue the man instead of allowing the man to claim respite at Hogwarts as was within his purview."

"I forgot to mention the dementors attacking said thirteen-year-old twice, plus how the potion's master in spite of knowing that the werewolf was with students, deliberately left the wolfbane potion in the man's office when he knew the man was minutes away from a full moon and with students."

There were some angry glares heading towards the headmaster and then Jareth discussed what had happened this previous year. "A fourteen-year-old was forced to compete in a tournament that could have been canceled, that should have never been restarted and we have a criminal polyjuiced as the headmaster closest friend of twenty years without his knowing it. Not to mention he was once again bullied and tormented by his classmates and shunned by all of those who should have known better."

There were some more whispers and even some mentioning of asking Dumbledore to resign which had Jareth shaking his head in disgust. "You are not much better, you are fighting each other for what you consider important positions and the future by holding the school back by claiming traditional values, but at the same time allowing the headmaster too much control."

That set off a round of protests, which Jareth silenced and then with a look at each of them said "You are so busy fighting one another to realize that you are doing EXACTLY what the headmaster wishes you to be doing. He has been allowed way too much power and control over what he considers to be HIS school."

That caught their attention, mainly because the headmaster all but turned his stool over in an attempt to protest what he was saying.

"Why on earth did he eliminate the wizard studies class for newly returned witches and wizards, why is muggle studies now an option and no longer a requirement like it was for centuries. What happened to the orientation classes for newly returned witches and wizards to prepare them for Hogwarts? "

"Of course they still have those, I remember authorizing payment for them rather reluctantly I admit, but I did do so when I was on the Board." Lucius Malfoy stated.

"They don't exist. I have been in contact with several newly returned magicals and not one of them attended such a class and in fact, one had Hagrid, your at the time Keeper of Keys as a guide into his first foray into the magical world, which I don't mind pointing out is against the rules of the charter." Jareth replied. "Mr. Potter, who was escorted by the Keeper of Keys, was woefully unprepared as a result."

"Potter?" Augusta Longbottom asked. "The headmaster sent Hagrid to escort Harry Potter to Diagon Alley?"

"Yes, but that is only an offshoot of the bigger problem, this boards lack of followup on the headmaster's activities as required by the chapter and common sense. You are his employers, he is your employee, not the other way around as you all seem to act as little more than yes men to his requests."

There were some uncomfortable looks at this accusation, then Jareth got to the heart of the situation. "You have a failing school system being lead by a corrupt egomaniac. One who has committed a multitude of crimes including life theft against his own students, who has manipulated the British magical world into turning onto itself repeatedly. You do have a terrorist after you, this Tom Riddle fellow, but you might wish to look at what created his rise and his antipathy against the magical world, and the people who are responsible is the man sitting in the corner and yourselves."

"Through inaction and prejudice against your own kind, you have twisted the very core of your magic into this current mess. There is a reason we celebrate the traditional holidays, it allows us to renew our magic. To work with the elements and the seasons as the holidays require is to renew your magic. There MUST be a balance of old and new, light and dark magic for a world to flourish, and dark magic isn't evil magic. Magic is just that, magic, it is how it's used, it is the intent of the user that makes magic bad."

"Your current dark lord attempted to gain immortality, which twisted him, which cost him his sanity which is what sent him on this road to damnation. He did this to escape his fears, fears that if he had been nurtured as a student, instead of labeled as dark merely because of the house he was placed in, turned what could have been a brilliant young powerful wizard into the creature he is now."

"How do we solve that, because years of prejudice won't go away just because we order it to?" Marchbanks inquired.

"You begin by returning to doing health checks on all new students, by taking care of your muggleborns and getting them tested to find what lines they are connected to, you take child abuse seriously."

"No magical would ever..." One of the directors started to speak until he was silenced.

"Your head of Slytherin house was an abused child, there are quite a few, but if it takes a bigger name to get your attention. Potter was." Jareth stated flatly. Seeing he had Longbottom's attention, he shook his head and told her "Your grandson was."

"My grandson was never abused.."

"You don't call dropping a child out of a second window onto his head abuse, I guess that explains a lot." Augusta saw the shocked looks on her fellow board members faces and protested. "But Neville bounced, it was how we learned he had magic when we were sure he was a squib."

"It's abuse." Jareth quietly stated. "You are responsible for the fact that your grandson didn't use accidental magic, how you raised him didn't allow for him to be spontaneous, then you allowed your relatives to terrorize and constantly insult him. It's abuse, so is tossing out members of your own family who don't get letters from Hogwarts, they might not be powerful, but they are still magical."

"It is our tradition." Greengrass protested.

"It is abuse and neglect. You, all of you so hidebound to tradition, when there are ways around it, created this world, I personally would let it fall apart and let it start anew, but for the promise the goblins made to a witch a few generations ago to always protect her family. It is the only reason we have agreed to help."

"We are getting off track. I was brought here to negotiate how things need to change, not deal with this nonsense. First up, you need to release the headmaster because as long as he is in charge, the goblins will not release Hogwart's funds to be subverted into his side accounts, including the funds that should have gone to your heads of house for teaching and holding that position. He has also been claiming to pay for the ingredients used in potions at the school when your herbology department grows most of them and your care of magical creatures professor gathers quite a bit as does your potion's professor."

That had a few more gasps which turned to dark looks as he continued to show them the paperwork. "Severus Snape is a renowned potion's master and the paperwork shows him receiving payment for each potion he creates for the infirmary, but the records show the funds going into the same side account as the funds that should go to your heads, the account labeled Scholarship Fund, which strangely enough, there are only four students getting those funds, four children by the name of Weasley whose funds actually go to Hogwarts."

"The Weasleys are a poor family so that at least makes sense," Marchbanks announced.

"Yet, if you look there are several more families who should be eligible," Jareth stated. "Hogwarts had a history of at least twenty incoming students a year receiving help, yet now it is only four student spread across one family and oddly enough a family that is closely connected to the man."

"Now, let's discuss Professor Binns and how his salary is still being paid in spite of how he is a ghost," Jareth said as he pulled out the next paper. 

"Enough, otherwise, clearly we will be here all day if we are to deal with the thefts individually. I say we take a vote and fire the headmaster and turn this paperwork over to Madame Bones to deal with her." Greengrass growled as he looked at the stacks of parchment that the man had.

"Agreed, all in favor?"

There was a unanimous vote and then Jareth set aside those papers and offered up the next grouping. "Now, we can move onto the more important part, repairing the damage he has done..."

"First, we need to appoint a new headmaster." Longbottom quickly suggested Minerva McGonagall which had Jareth shaking his head and announcing that they needed her to be in charge of the administration of the school but not the students.

"Excuse me?" 

"This woman is a disciple of your former headmaster, she is too set in her ways and too sure that he was always right. I also feel that she would be too stretched as she is part of the problem."

"I beg your pardon, Minerva McGonagall is as honest as the day is long," Marchbanks stated.

Jareth gave her a slight frown and said "I agree, but she is too lax with her house, to be put in charge of the whole school. The other three houses have bed checks, early bedtimes that are sorted out according to age, the heads meet regularly with their students and have specific times that they are available in their houses for their students. They have healthy meals provided for them, they don't spend half the time in the infirmary as the Lions do, even if you subtract the time the Potter boy does, the Lions are more likely to be patients. The Gryffindors run wild throughout the school and have found more ways out of the school and even become animagus right under her nose without her finding out."

"You had three second-year students brewing class four potions in the second-floor girl's bathroom without her noticing and then we have all that Potter has gotten up to." Jareth picked up the thick pile of paperwork of items that Harry and Hermione filled him in on.

"Now, the headmaster created most of those events, but well.. to be blunt, last year when Harry Potter needed her the most, Minerva McGonagall played least in sight and did nothing to stymie the vicious bullying that Potter was forced to endure after being trapped into competing in that trice banned tournament that has had at least half its contestant dying. That she stood back and allowed her own student to suffer such humiliation is reason enough to keep her from the position never mind that she did nothing, and I mean NOTHING to help the boy stuck competing with students years with more magical education and age in this."

"Who would you recommend?"

"If he was a better person, I would recommend Severus Snape, but he can't put aside his bitterness and anger at his fate in life, but at least he takes care of his house and his Slytherins. As for the Goblin known to you as Flitwick, he is too obvious to the bullying in his own house to the extent that an incoming fourth year spent her entire Hogwarts career being forced to sleep outside of her tower, her books and clothing are constantly stolen and that isn't even mentioning the nasty names she is constantly called."

"So that leaves Madam Sprout."

"No, that means that you should be looking outside of Hogwarts and stop trying to take the easy way to fill the position," Jareth announced exasperated with how they were taking the soft route. "What about Madame Bones, or another ministry official, what about hiring someone who has no connections to the current faculty, hell why not Mrs. Malfoy?"

Narcissa Malfoy who had been contemplating what they had been saying about abused children looked up startled at hearing her name being called and said "Yes?"

There was some quiet chuckling and Jareth said: "I do apologize, I was just trying to point out that there were other options to choosing a new headmaster than promoting for within."

There was some calling out of names, but Jareth suggested that they go through his list of needed changes and then think about who would best fill the position after that.

When they had listened to his suggestions, had argued about some of them and had been shocked at the suggestion of traditions messing with what they already had, he dryly stated. "Old and new, dark and light, remember that when coming up with answers. Now, I need to speak to the headmaster and Mr. Nott and Mr. Malfoy. Might I suggest that you adjourn and consider my proposals."

"We need to send for Madam Bones to arrest the headmaster for embezzlement." Greengrass awkwardly pointed out as they gathered their things to leave.

"I will keep watch over him until she arrives," Jareth stated while nodding at the two goblins with axes who were within reach of the headmaster.

Greengrass, Longbottom, and Marchbanks were appointed to go speak to the head of the DMLE and send her to the Three Broomsticks while Jareth threw up a wall of silence around the headmaster and turned to the two men waiting there. "We need to talk gentlemen."

"Your master is insane and a threat against both of your families. Nott, you are stuck because you knew him when he was still sane and are trying to protect your son. I can do so, but I want something in return."

Nott looked fearfully at Malfoy.

Jareth shrugged and outed Malfoy. "Malfoy joined for power but has recently learned that your dark lord doesn't share power, only pain and that he has been reaching for immortality which means that his son won't be the dark lord's heir like he was promised. He is attempting to weasel out of his service to the wizard in question."

When Malfoy went to pull his wand, Jareth used a crystal ball to disable him and then flicking his hand sent him back to the settee then turned to the man's wife. "Mrs. Malfoy, I am not the threat, in truth, I sent an offer to your husband's master and it has been ignored. At midnight tonight, all will be rectified, if you can keep your impetuous husband away from his master until then, your son will be safe. At least from his master."

Narcissa Malfoy's eyes narrowed gimlet tight then looking at Nott and then at the powerful wizard in front of her asked: "How can I trust you to keep your promise?"

"Magical oaths don't work on me, but I am fae and we don't lie." He leaned over and quietly whispered into her ear. "You have two choices, your son branded like an animal, dying in service to the man your husband kneels to every day or to trust me."

Narcissa saw the hopeful look in Nott's eyes and then looking at the blond man nodded. "I will keep him out of the way."

"It will be done." Jareth replied as he turned to Nott and announced "Send your son to safety. If all goes as planned, he will end up with a caring family, if not, he will at least be safe and with his former nanny."

With that, Jareth turned to his goblins and announced: "I gave you an order earlier, make it so."

The goblins nodded and watched the pureblood wizards leave and then freeing those under their invisibility blanket. There were some quiet nods towards the Goblin King and then the foursome approached.

"Mr. Snape, you will be happy to note, your sister is well and has a husband and two sons. She is a scribe in the royal court, with all the books she ever dreamed about reading readily available to her."

Snape found it difficult after all this time to say but he managed "Thank you, it was why I wished her away so that she would have a happy life."

"You could have stayed." Jareth quietly stated.

The bitter man took a deep breath and said: "My mother needed me if she had lost both of us..."

"You were a very young man, you took too much onto yourself. I am only sorry that your wish wasn't answered." Jareth replied as he recalled how the boy had tossed the crystal and shattered it.

He created one and offered it to the man. "Hold onto this, when this war is over, you may use it."

Severus Snape hesitated then asked. "Potter and the know it all?"

"Young Ms. Granger is with my queen and spending most of her time in my vast library, when I am free, she is full of questions. As for Mr. Potter, he has spent time in the library but as with all adventurous boys, he is also enjoying my labyrinth." Jareth offered.

Snape nodded then thought about what he had seen when Jareth had described Potter as abused. He looked at the headmaster who was sitting fuming, clearly angry at being unable to move and said: "I saw what I wished to see."

"Yes, you did. You forgot your own lessons and so did many others. Potter will return, along with a few surprises, as the Great Fade has had the veil of death weakened as a result of the twist in time. Now, go, speak to my goblins, they will tell you what you need to do to achieve peace."

When the dark haired man had left, Flitwick thought about what he had been told in his own meeting and bowed to his king and announced. "I had lost my empathy, thank you for returning it and clarity to myself. I will endeavor to faithfully uphold the honor of the goblins and the trust given to me by Rowena herself."

"Thank you, that is all I ask of you," Jareth stated and when the goblin had left, he turned to the two women in front of him.

The one, a hefty woman with hands darkened from years spent toiling the earth, was smiling as she said: "How did you know I wouldn't wish the job?"

"You are mother earth personified, to take you away from that would weaken your magic and the connection you have to the earth and it's land around your school." He announced. "You would never allow that to happen."

"I am ashamed that I did not do more to protect the Potter boy in my need to help the Diggory boy, I truly believed that others would help him." She said with a heavy sigh.

"Your sense of loyalty to your badgers is outstanding, but they need to learn that Loyalty isn't to your house it is to your fellow man and that different doesn't mean that those don't deserve that loyalty," Jareth replied.

Minerva felt stripped bare emotionally, mentally and even intellectually as she stood in front of this man she was now sure wasn't a mere representative. "Do I have it correct, am I addressing the goblin king himself?"

"Yes, Minerva." He replied. Then guiding her to be seated, he said "I am sure that what I told you was a real eye opener, but it needed to be done. You are one person doing too many jobs and important items are being skipped in your need to please your boss."

"I am going to change things, but I don't know how to get past how betrayed I feel. I was already questioning his actions, but to know, how blind I was... how I allowed his suggestions to harm my students, especially Harry..."

Jareth saw her shame and said "Harry is good at hiding his pain, he needed to be, after the Dursleys. He will need you and you should make yourself available to him. When it comes time to appoint a head of house, try a former marauder."

"The Ministry won't allow me to hire Lupin, not as head of house. He saw her confusion then her terror as she looked at him and asked in a scandalized tone. "Sirius Black, in charge... oh dear."

"Who better to know what to be on the lookout for, who better to deal with the miscreants than someone who used to breaks those rules." Then with an impish smirk, he said: "Besides, who said that I was talking about either of those marauders."

Minerva gave him a strange look as she heard Severus and Pomona waiting for her, so she quickly left, convinced that this goblin king knew something she didn't. As she left, she saw him looking at Albus and turned her head away from her former boss and friend.

"Well well, Albus Dumbledore, how the mighty has fallen. So, for now, until midnight, I need to keep you on ice, what a pity, as that means an oubliette for you."

With that, Jareth threw a crystal ball at the man and watched dispassionately as he disappeared. He looked around the room, knowing that the Gringott's goblins would have taken care of all costs associated with the room then returned below then created the illusion for when the magical officers arrived.

He no sooner left, then an austere-looking woman followed by several aurors entered the room in time to see what looked like Albus Dumbledore apparate out of the room.

Finding his queen and the two teenagers, waiting anxiously for him, Jareth pressed a quick kiss to Sarah's lips then told them. "I have dealt with the Hogwarts part of the equation, tonight, I will be dealing with your former headmaster and the man known as Tom Riddle."

"So, it's all over?" Harry asked.

"No, it's just beginning. I have just cleared the battlefield of the two most vindictive combatants." Jareth stated. "You should know, your godfather was cleared of all charges, the DMLE is looking for the headmaster to arrest him, but he is cooling his heels in an oubliette until his dance partner arrives."

"There is much to be done, but I am sure that Hogwarts is on the right track, at least if they employ the best choice for the headmaster, I sent them on the right path, but only they can step up. Now, regarding the purebloods..."

Jareth looked at the two teenagers and wondered if they were up to hearing the truth, in the end, he knew that the teenagers in front of him were the wave of the future. "...they will be neutralized by the truth of the Salazar Slytherin diary coming out, the one that Sally created and had placed in the Chamber of Secrets for you to find. However, you need to realize that dark and light magic needs to balance itself out." 

Hermione blushed a bit at having had her ideas shown to be mere echoes of those who were as prejudiced as the purebloods who claimed that she didn't belong because she was a muggleborn.

"I have spoken to magic itself while above, they are going to right a few wrongs, certain things can't be changed, but others can and will," Jareth stated. "Now, we need to discuss only the future of the two of you."

Seeing the way that Hermione looked towards Harry and then away, then how blindingly obvious the dark haired boy was, Jareth said "I think that time and maturity would normally take care of this, but due to my plans, I feel that I need to take a more active role in straightening things out."

Seeing the teenage boy's confusion, Jareth turned to Sarah and asked her to speak to Hermione and then drew the boy outside and walked through the hedge maze that was closest to the castle and spoke to him as bluntly as he could.

Harry seemed confused, then surprised and finally completely and totally shocked before a huge grin appeared on his face. "Sir, I sort of already figured out that I have feelings for Hermione."

"Now, that doesn't mean that you get to take a shortcut to a relationship. First up, I would recommend asking her out on a date, when you return aboveground."

"Ask her? Out?" Harry sounded as if he would rather face Voldemort himself than ask Hermione out on a date. "What if she says no?"

"More the pity that she doesn't," Jareth replied. Seeing the hurt expression on the teenager's face, Jareth explained. "Sarah refused me the first time I offered for her, unfortunately, I was overeager and not thinking clearly that first time, now thanks to your friend, I have a second chance and I don't intend to waste it. But I needed to mature, to understand that to love, you need to love yourself and to put others first, above your wants and wishes."

"I understand that." Harry quietly replied.

"I think that in your case, it is more a case of needing to understand that you deserve to be loved and to learn to love yourself." Jareth gently stated. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have a queen to romance."

With that Jareth snapped his fingers and disappeared and Harry walked slowly towards the castle only to see Hermione appearing at the beginning of the hedge maze.

The two teenagers quietly began walking beside one another, both unsure what to say to the other but maybe words weren't necessary as Harry after taking a deep breath, reached out and enfolded Hermione's hand into his as they arrived at the orchard.

Remus Lupin was struggling to accept what he was hearing from his former head of house as she told all of those gathered at Grimmauld Place what had gone on that evening at the Three Broomsticks.

"How could you, Minerva?" He asked.

She bleakly turned towards the young werewolf and said "Albus had me convinced it was for the best. I can never make up it up to Harry for all that I did and didn't do during his time at Hogwarts."

There was silence as Bill Weasley sat there, silently, his mind on all he had learned about his own family that very day, added to being told how the very man that the light side of Magical Britain looked up to as Merlin personified was turning out to be little more than a liar and cheat and if you truly thought about it he wasn't much better than the dark lord he was fighting with.

He had suspected him of being lapse with Harry's inheritance, but this... this was below even his expectations. "Who was this man?"

"I suspect that I met with the Goblin King himself," Minerva stated. "What makes it very interesting is that when Amelia Bones arrived to arrest the headmaster, he quickly disappeared after being left in a ward by this man. I wonder how we will recover from this."

Sirius Black came through the floo and sank into the stone floor and looked at those gathered. "I am cleared, they have aurors out looking for the headmaster and that isn't the only insanity going on. Fudge was forced to resign, they found a cache of records in Delores Umbridge's possession which proves he took bribes even if they don't know who he took bribes from, that part was expunged."

"The bank is to reopen tomorrow." Bill offered up. "I have to go to a meeting with Ragnok himself to see if I have a job though, especially once it comes out what my mother was up to."

With that, the red head's eyes went to Dora Tonks and Emmaline Vance before admitting "I can't believe what she was doing, I just can't believe it."

Sirius grimaced and then told him the rest of what he had learned "You should know, your brother Charlie is returning when the ICW isolation ends. Your father is going to be forced to take veritaserum to verify that he knew nothing about it, and it sounds as if they are going to require your siblings to do the same."

"I was told by my dad about it," Bill replied. "I am to be dosed myself, I just can't believe that my mother would follow the headmaster that blindly as to think that dosing government officials was a good idea."

Sirius started to reply but decided that it might be for the best for Bill to not know exactly what was going on with the testing, that it might be too much for the curse breaker to take. "I spoke to Augusta Longbottom, she was at the Ministry with Greengrass and Marchbanks and they are honestly considering who to replace the headmaster with. I know that the Goblin king recommended going with someone outside of the usual lines. I am sorry, Minerva."

"No, they are right. I relinquished my responsibilities for the last several years while covering for the headmaster and following his idiotic plans." She replied with red eyes as she struggled with not tearing up as she recalled some of her more lackluster moments in protesting how the headmaster was ignoring behavior in connection to young Harry.

With a sigh, she looked at Remus Lupin and recalled what else had come out at the meeting and asked to speak to the werewolf one on one.

Fleur Delacour was speaking to her father when she saw someone whose red hair resembled her boyfriend's. Moving closer to the muscle bond wizard, she asked: "Is your name Charlie?"

The man's grin told her the answer as she held out her hand and announced. "I am Fleur Delacour, I am spending time with Bill."

"He mentioned your name, you were the French TriWizard champion, you stunned him in your curse breaking training session, correct?" The friendly open face stated with a wicked grin. "It's been years since anyone in my family has gotten the drop on Bill."

"Yes." She replied then asked. "He told you about that?"

"Yes, and about your temper when he used your distraction to take you out, which had him acting goofy for days when he was writing to me," Charlie stated. "In fact, it was four letters before he mentioned you were part veela, which was the first thing my brother Ron wrote me about when he met you in his fourth year."

"I thought you were working at a dragon reserve?" Fleur inquired.

"I was, but I was asked to come home due to something that my mother did." He said with a heavy sigh. "I need to clear my name so that I can go back to work."

"I heard," Fleur said averting her eyes as she struggled to deal with the hurt at the thought that Bill's mother was so against their relationship that she would use a love potion on her son and two women to keep them apart.

"I don't know what to say, I mean, I am sorry and I hope that you don't hold it against Bill, because he truly cares for you." Charlie awkwardly tried to express, he was more at home dealing with his large charges than with the female of the species.

"I know," she said with a bright smile coming to her eyes and lips. They heard the announcement stating that as of tomorrow morning they could travel to Britain and the duo walked back to Fleur's father who offered up his spare room for Charlie to stay in for the night. 

"Thank you, sir." The dragon tamer accepted and as they left the floo port, Charlie's easy going ways did much to relieve the fears that Fleur's father had against the Weasley family as a whole.

At home at the Burrow, Arthur Weasley was shaking his head as he thought of all that he had learned that evening about his wife's activities and all she had been up to on behalf of the former Hogwarts headmaster.

From interfering with Harry's mail and keeping his vault key in violation of Gringott's rules, he was also going to be having a long talk with his daughter after she had been questioned by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement along with his sons.

Ginny's questioning was the one that concerned him because Amelia Bones and Alastor Croaker had been furious to find out that Molly had put a stop to her receiving help after her possession during her first year attending Hogwarts.

There were also questions as a result of what Molly had admitted to in regards to Harry and Hermione and her plans for the upcoming school year and the help that the headmaster had given to her to accommodate said plans.

Arthur was wondering how his family would survive all that was about to come out when he heard the chimes attached to his floo network and he invited in Mad-Eye Moody who was furious as he filled him in on all that he had learned via the headmaster's embezzlement of funds and how it had led to their current predicaments.

Arthur found himself feeling lower than low as he realized that the extra funds that the headmaster had given him over the last few years had more than likely come from funds that he had stolen from orphans and widows.

What was even worse was that he didn't have the funds to return the galleons he had been given, which meant that he would end up owing them interest when the truth finally came out.

With a heavy sigh, he went up to bed, his mind reeling from all the thoughts that kept floating through it, even as he tried to accept that his life was going to have to change.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

**Dumbledore and Riddle versus the Labyrinth**

Jareth woke up, still holding onto Sarah, his eyes adjusting to the inky darkness that informed him that it was almost time to return to the aboveground and mete out justice to those whose hatred of one another had created this mess.

When Sarah moaned and ran her hand down his chest, he regretfully pressed a kiss to her lips and announced in a sleep-tousled voice that he had to go and supervise those who were about to be placed at the beginning of the Labyrinth.

"May we watch?" She asked as she sat up and wiped the sleepiness from her eyes.

"I already intended to invite the Potter boy too, so of course, you may. His parents are ready to leave the Great Fade, so they will be joining him. I am not inviting the Diggory boy, however." He said.

Sarah dressed and watched as Jareth suddenly appeared in his black armor that denoted his reign as the Goblin King and with a quiet chuckle told him. "As a fifteen-year-old, you scared me to death when you appeared dressed like that, as an adult..."

"Does it do something for you?" He asked in an innuendo-laden tone with a bit of a twinkle in his eyes.

"I will be glad to show you just what it does for me, sometime." She replied with a bit of a wink then told him. "It comes as a close second to how good you looked wearing that royal blue outfit at the ball."

With that, Jareth let out a loud chuckle and changed form to fly out the window to go and capture a certain dark lord and to set up the challenge that he would be facing with his bitterest rival as a partner. When he arrived in the decrepit manor house, he saw the magical conscript seated on his throne, with his minions gathered around, some kneeling in front of him.

Locating the snake, he sent a message to her master then waited; knowing that Tom Riddle's ego would force him to come to speak to him alone. "Go, tell your master that the magic itself would like a word."

The snake slithered out of the room and into the gathering place, she went to her master who felt their connection and then looked at the snake's memory of the discussion.

Standing, ignoring how Marcus Flint had been begging for his life, he muttered to the others gathered "Get him out of here, and teach him how important it is to obey my orders."

With that, Tom Riddle entered the small parlor and went to throw a crucio curse at the creature that dared to sit on his throne. When it came back at him and connected, he was thrown to the ground and screamed in pain and when it ended. "My followers will kill you for this..."

"They won't hear a thing," Jareth announced. "I have come to give you your deepest darkest wish, revenge on the one you know as Albus Dumbledore. He will face punishment for his sins." 

"I care because?"

Jareth gave him a cold smile and then created a crystal. "I have come to give you a gift, a gift of a wish..."

When the snakelike creature merely sneered, Jareth showed him what the crystal showed. "The Potter boy without his wand."

This had Riddle foolishly reaching for the crystal and Jareth tilted his head to the right and said: "They always fall for it."

With that, the man known as Lord Voldemort landed in a dark hole on top of someone or something. "What is happening? Where am I?"

Riddle found himself scrambling off whatever it was that he had landed on as it suddenly seemed to go from petrified to being able to move.

When he felt around in the darkness, he cursed when he felt the robes and the long beard that could only belong to one wizard. Dumbledore.

There was suddenly light and the man with the wild hair appeared and gave a cold chuckle. "What is happening is that the two of you are going to run my labyrinth, if you should succeed in getting to the castle at the center of the Labyrinth just outside of goblin city within thirteen hours, you will get your greatest wish, immortality for Dumbledore, and for you, Riddle, the Potter boy without his wand."

With that, he quickly left before the two combatants realized that they were powerless. Still, he recalled something he needed to warn them about so he threw his voice back into the oubliette. "Oh, and no harming my subjects or you will forfeit your run."

Voldemort was thrilled to realize that he had the advantage over the old man and took out his wand and cursed him, only to realize that no spell had left the wand.

"Your magic won't work here," Dumbledore said, having learned that the hard way earlier that evening when he had arrived and been knocked out when he had attempted to leave the doorless and windowless room. "Not that I know where here is."

"Is this some sort of trick Dumbledore? Some sort of test, to see if I will turn good? Turn to the light, you old fool?" Voldemort hissed as he repeatedly used his wand to no effect.

* * *

Amelia Bones was seated in an interrogation room alone, just having spoken to Molly Weasley for the fourth time since she had been brought in by the International aurors. Looking at the files she had been reading and had questioned the red-headed woman about, she was feeling sick to her stomach as she tried to figure out how much this woman was responsible for her own actions and how much of it was the result of actions by the now missing Albus Dumbledore.

Tomorrow morning, the unrepentant woman's husband and of age sons were to be questioned with veritaserum and while she was pretty sure that they would be found innocent of wrongdoing, she wasn't so sure that their reputations wouldn't be affected.

"Madame Bones, you wished to speak with me?"

Amelia looked up to see a wan-looking Percy Weasley was entering the small windowless room. The young wizard had had a rough couple of days, starting with finding out his second boss at the Ministry was as corrupt as his first, that the Undersecretary who he had spilled way too much information to had been found equally guilty, then to see his mother being marched through the lobby in magic suppressing handcuffs had rattled the young man's entire life.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley, I understand that you wished to be questioned as soon as possible." She stated. Seeing his miserable nod, she gently pointed out. "It won't change the committee's decision, young man."

"I don't expect it to." He replied in a somber tone. "I just wish to get out from under this cloud of suspicion and hopefully find a way to get on with my life and my career. I...I guess I don't have a career any longer, do I?"

"All I ever wanted was to work at the Ministry, to help guide things to the way that they always have been." He added with a frown and a half sob.

Amelia felt for the young boy, but he had been recommended for the job by Albus Dumbledore, he had overstepped his boundaries and had in fact been on probation when he had gone to work for the Minister, now, his mother was suspected of potion's misuse and line theft as well as outright theft of funds from Gringotts. There was no chance of Percy Weasley keeping his job. "Maybe this might be a good thing, Mr. Weasley, help you spread your wings."

He gave her a long assessing look then asked: "Would you hire someone whose family had done what mine had, even before my mother's actions became public, my father's reputation precedes us?"

Amelia looked back at him with a steady expression on her face and then told him the truth. "You're father's idiosyncrasies aside, what has harmed your future is your own behavior and what your mother has done."

Percy winced and then looking at his hands admitted "My mother was always so sure of the righteousness of the headmaster, I found myself believing everything he said. Until he claimed that a dead wizard had risen back to life on the word of Potter, a teenager boy who had just been tortured."

"Potter was telling the truth," Amelia replied. Seeing his shock, she thought about it and then told him. "Turns out that the dead wizard wasn't dead, no one was there the night he supposedly died, the story came out via the words of Rubeus Hagrid who believed what he was told by Albus Dumbledore. No one bothered to confirm his death. As for Potter..."

Amelia thought of everything she had been shown and then looking at the young boy in front of her, continued ...as for Potter, the stories your brother's told you, the rumors about what he had done at Hogwarts, they are all true. He was set up year after year by the headmaster, the only part we aren't sure of is if he was attempting to test the boy or if he was trying to harm him in some manner that couldn't be connected to him."

Percy heard a knock on the door and then was ordered to open his mouth. Having taken the dose of veritiaserum, it soon became clear that he was innocent of having knowledge of his mother's crimes and those of his former bosses. His only crime if she could call it that, was in being too trusting of authority figures.

While she had him under, she questioned him about his own beliefs and then thought about what to do with him. He was in truth, a smart young man, but clearly, he needed some real-world experience.

With a sigh, she gave him the antidote and asked him a few questions. "So, would you like a second chance at working for the government?"

Seeing his hesitation, she decided that was a good thing and then explained what she wished him to do. His eyes widened and he admitted to her "I didn't take muggle studies, I have no way of moving around in that world."

"I have just the man to teach you." She replied. "We are going to spend the next four months preparing you for life as a muggle then I am going to arrange for you to work with the muggle government undercover. I want you to learn how their system works and report back to me."

Percy staggered out of the room, his mind racing as he tried to figure out if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Returning to his small apartment above the bookstore in Diagon Alley, he sank onto his newly created sofa and stared off into space.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore was beyond furious at his predicament but was trying to stay calm as he was unsure of exactly where he was. That he was stuck with the very embodiment of dark magic had him scowling at the other wizard. "We have to get out of here and your multiple attempts at using magic to do so has gotten us nowhere."

"Fine, let's see what you can do." Riddle mocked his former professor. "Well, I am waiting."

Walking around the outer wall of the circular space, he knocked on it, expecting to find a hidden door or a false wall but there was nothing there. Growing frustrated, he looked up and found that there was only stone above and that there was nothing on the ground. "We have to get out, he wouldn't have put us here if there wasn't a way out."

Scoffing in scorn, Riddle sneered at the old man and said: "Why not, it's what I would do if I could."

Albus smiled as friendly as he could and pointed out "No one is as nasty to others as you are."

"Really, I would argue that you are as conniving and as manipulative after all, you were my role model in how to act." He snarled in return.

The two men wasted almost an hour of their time, Jareth who was overseeing them, turned to Harry who had been silently observing in the crystal was enthralled in seeing how his headmaster was acting. "Harry?"

The young boy tore his eyes away from the crystal and admitted to Jareth, "I was sort of hoping that we were all wrong, that the headmaster wasn't using me. He..."

Jareth placed his arm along the boy's shoulder and found himself attempting to comfort the young man that so much was expected of. "Harry, what he did to you, where he left you was wrong. If I had known, I would have brought you underground years ago. No one deserves to end up in the life you have led. If I could reverse time that long, I would."

Albus was beyond frustrated as they had checked all the walls, the floor and had even made a futile attempt to use magic to free themselves from this place.

"There must be a way out, after all, he wouldn't set us up for his amusement." the old man was saying.

Tom held up his index finger to indicated he had something to say, but just stayed silent, knowing that of course, the creature who had placed them in this hole could do so for his own amusement. When the pompous windbag had gone over and over again how he was certain there was a way out, he was debating strangling him with his long white beard just to shut the old man up.

With a soft chuckle when he realized that they had been stuck there for over three hours, Tom was moving forward to do just that to give himself some peace and quiet when he said "So much for your belief in the light and the goodness of others. What, no one has shown up to help you? Where are all your followers, now, old man." 

"Help? Did someone ask for help?" A small dirty looking creature suddenly appeared out of the darkness and Tom was revolted to realize that it wasn't human.

"Who would you be my good creature?" Albus Dumbledore said with a smile on his face at this good fortune.

"I am Hoggle. How did you two end up in an oubliette?" He inquired from where he was holding up a match so that he could be seen and seem them.

When the moron Dumbledore almost told the creature thing that they had been placed down their against their will and had been ill-treated, Riddle hastily interrupted. "Never mind that, do you know the way out?"

"Of course." He replied then went silent as he looked expectantly between the two wizards.

"Would you dear creature, please lead me from this place?" Dumbledore asked.

"And your friend, I presume you would wish for him to join us?" Hoggle asked.

"He isn't my friend, merely a rather unpleasant acquaintance." The headmaster was quite happy to leave Riddle down here, wherever here was. "Plus he would surely attempt to kill us the moment he is free from this place."

"Well, it's either both of you exit or neither of you do so." Hoggle stated: "So which is it?"

"My good creature surely you know who I am?" Dumbledore replied with a wide smile on his face.

"Yes, of course, I know who you are." He replied then when he saw the assured smile on the older wizard's face added: "You are one of two wizards whose behavior foolishly landed you in this oubliette."

"My good creature, I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, first class, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and the Chief Warlock of these lands." He stated.

Hoggle looked at him and then rolling his eyes mockingly bowed to him. "Well, your excellency, I am Hoggle, Prince of the Bog of Stench and the defender of the Champion of the Labyrinth, oh, and you are no more chief warlock of these lands than I am the King of the Goblins."

Riddle outright snickered at the offended expression on old Dumbledore's face. "Creature, my name is Lord Voldemort, you are meant to fear me, you odious little creature. I wish to know the way out of this what was it you called it oubliette."

"It will cost you," Hoggle replied.

"How dare you speak to me in that manner." Voldemort sneered.

"I dare because I am not lost, now if you will excuse me I am late for dinner." He replied then felt the tug on his jacket, he turned to see that the pompous older wizard was pained as he asked what would it cost him to get free of the oubliette.

With an accessing expression on his face, Hoggle said "That is a mighty fine wand on you. I will take that to get you away from this oubliette."

"My dear creature, I am afraid that a wand is of no use to one such as yourself, pick something else," Albus demanded.

"No, the wand or you remain here, with your friend." He replied with a scornful look at the second wizard.

"My wand is rather priceless, surely we can negotiate for something else?" Dumbledore stated.

"My directions to free yourself would be considered priceless to you as you have no other way of gaining your freedom," Hoggle replied then went to walk away.

"Why don't you give him your wand?" Dumbledore stated to Riddle.

"And give you the advantage of having a wand when I don't, I don't think so?" Riddle replied.

"Wait!" Dumbledore called out to the small creature who was blowing out the match. "Fine, I will give you my wand when you have led me from this place."

"Your wand?" Hoggle looked at the wizard, he could sense his deceit and certain that he was being played but he was directed by the goblin king to delay them but to eventually bring them back to the entrance to the Labyrinth.

"Yes, my good creature, my wand for my exit from this oubliette." He replied.

"What will you give me to lead your fellow wizard out as well," Hoggle asked.

"Nothing, if he wishes to free himself, he must give you something of his, I won't help him."

"Selfish is you," Hoggle said scratching his chin and looking at the two wizards. "Fine, but I already have one wand, so that leaves out his wand as his gift to be set free. I need something else as a gift from him."

Clenching his hands wishing he could do magic so that he could crucio this thing to its death, Riddle spat out "I have nothing of value on me."

"Surely there must be something..." Hoggle replied and when Dumbledore suggested that he lead himself to the entrance and come back to deal with his partner, Hoggle looked at him and stated "My king insists that the two of you must travel together. One trip for both of you."

"Surely you can see that your king's foolishness is preventing us from making a reasonable deal," Dumbledore stated.

"Well, my king isn't a reasonable monarch." Hoggle retorted with a bit of a smirk on his face. "In fact, he is quite capable of horrendous acts of impetuousness, so I would make up my mind before he makes me forget that you were down here because that is what these oubliettes are for. To place things and people in that you wish to make disappear."

Dumbledore saw there was no reasoning with this simple-minded creature and felt around in his pockets for something that didn't have any real value about and found a small bag of his favorite lemon drops. "How about this in exchange for our exiting this oubliette."

"Those lemon drops and the wand we agreed upon earlier," Hoggle replied.

"Fine." Dumbledore was certain that the instant he was freed from this small cave he could call for his phoenix and find out where Harry was which would allow him to bargain to get what was his back.

Hoggle gestured for them to follow him and he led them to a door that suddenly appeared in the wall and on an upward incline that soon had them outside the gates of the Labyrinth. "Now my prize."

"Fawkes." the headmaster called and to the loud cackles of Riddle, he repeatedly lifted his hand as if he was expecting the bird to appear.

"My prize?" Hoggle asked again.

"Which way to the castle?" Riddle hastily asked.

"That way!" Hoggle pointed behind Riddle and the wizard turned to stare aghast at the vast distance between the castle and himself. "Now if I may have my prize."

Dumbledore slumped against the stone wall, then looking at the small creature was going to renegotiate his deal when he heard the cursing of his nemesis. Turning to face the other wizard, he felt his heart stop as he took in the huge maze between himself and the castle. Without turning to look, he asked: "Good creature, perhaps we may come to an understanding..."

"No." With that Hoggle nimbly removed the headmaster's wand and the offered lemon drops and disappeared down a hole. When Albus scrambled to follow him, the hole size shrunk to one the size of a galleon.

With a cold snicker, Riddle began to follow the outer edge of the wall, certain that there had to be an opening someplace along it. Dumbledore in the meantime had sat on a stump and tried to think his way through to get what he needed as he felt in his pocket for the elder wand.

"My oh my, you two are entertaining."

Hearing the drawling voice of the man who was making his life hell, Albus Dumbledore stood and demanded to know what gave him the right to interfere in the greater good. "You have no idea what you have done."

Eyeing the old man, Jareth outright gave a belly laugh and then replied "I have righted the wrongs you have done to those who once looked up to you. I have set magic back along the path it should have been for years, the path you altered it from in your avaricious grasping need for power and adulteration."

"Who are you? How dare you do this?" He demanded.

"I am the one who knows the path through the Labyrinth, and I dare because I can. Now if you will excuse me, I must return to my castle, Oh and by the way, you have seven hours left to join me there or all will be lost." with that, Jareth disappeared which left the headmaster muttering.

"He does have a sense of style and drama, doesn't he?" Riddle announced as he had silently returned and had hoped to overhear something that would give him the edge in finding the way to the castle. He was beginning to think that the Potter boy wasn't the issue and that he really rather would kill the old man with him instead.

He had even tried flying to escape his whining only to realize that he without his magic for the first time in his life. Even when he had been a wraith, he had had magic, now, nothing, nil, nada.

It took another hour for the two wizards to eventually find their way into the maze. As they went left and right, separating immediately they were feeling very arrogant at finally getting inside, unaware that the goblin king had allowed them to find the gate mainly out of boredom from hearing them complaining to one another.

* * *

Harry had been joined by Hermione who found herself laughing as her headmaster dealt with the logic puzzle in the most illogical way and ended up being turned back to the inside of the outer gate to find another way to the castle.

When Riddle approached the same puzzle and merely began to shout, Harry admitted: "He doesn't look so scary now, does he?"

Taking in the dark lord's muddied boots and clothes, how he looked rather frantically when he heard footsteps had them laughing in spite of themselves as they stared into the crystal ball.

"Harry, we need you to perform the ritual tonight to recall your blood," Jareth announced from his spot on the balcony with Sarah. "I know you wished to wait, but there is a reason for doing so immediately after they have failed to gain entrance to the castle."

"What do I need to do?" He asked not sure that he was up to that sort of magic.

"I will arrange with the High King to set it up as he must observe such rituals," Jareth replied then pressing a kiss on his queen's lips, the goblin king exited the castle in his owl form.

"I can't believe how much he resembled Hedwig," Harry announced while shaking his head in surprise. "Other than a few spots of color, they look identical."

* * *

In London, Amelia Bones was exhausted, she was heading home when she saw Sirius Black and Remus Lupin crossing the lobby of the Ministry. "Where is Albus Dumbledore?"

"I don't know, he knows we are all looking for him." Sirius grimly replied. Holding out the folder, he announced "More charges to be added against him. It's James and Lily's wills, he sealed them but only after reading the copy. The goblins have proof he read it and it clearly states that Harry wasn't to be placed with her family and that I wasn't the secret keeper."

"I just can't keep up with all of the charges that are to be filed against him. I have an entire stack of papers from the goblins that will take five aurors at least a month to get through." She said shaking her head in annoyance. "Add to that the Weasley woman's confession under veritiaserum and I have the International Confederation of Wizards also braying for her blood."

Seeing the two of them looking at one another, she groaned and said: "I am guessing that Kingsley Shacklebolt didn't speak to you yet?"

"No, he asked to but uh, well..." Sirius gave her a sheepish smirk and admitted: "I was determined to deal with things so when he asked me to wait long enough to get himself something to eat, I uh, stunned him so that I could escape."

With an exhausted chuckle, she said: "I am sure that Kingsley was starving, he went to the bathroom and took a purging potion after the Weasley woman admitted to potioning a few others along with the International aurors and yourself."

"She was doing what?" Sirius growled like his inner dog as he stared at the woman in front of him.

"Come with me." She replied then taking them back to her former office, took a pepper-up potion then filled them in. "From what I gathered, the headmaster was concerned that if you were more like your old self, you would talk to young Mr. Potter about things he wished to keep away from the boy, so he had her giving you a potion meant to keep you from thinking clearly."

"Interfering old goat, I knew something was wrong, I knew that I had felt calmer while on the run than now. I just figured it was because I was staying in my family home." Sirius replied with a grimace as he recalled all the meals the Weasley woman had sent to him even before she started to live in his home.

That he had been so foolish as to eat them without checking told him how lapse his survival skills had grown.

"I am sure that you are aware that Mr. Potter is alive?" She ended the sentence on a question mark as she wasn't absolutely positive.

"Yes, Ms. Grainger and he are the guests of the Goblin King." Sirius replied then admitted to her "I tried to get the headmaster to allow Harry to come to stay with me but he had his own agenda and claimed that we couldn't remove him from his family's house, I have since learned that unlike what he had been telling me, I not he has legal custody of my godson."

"That is one of the many, many lies and outright treasonous behavior that he has committed or told over the last several decades. I have found so many falsehoods that I almost double checked to find out if he actually did defeat Grindelwald or if he merely found him dead someplace and claimed to have done so." She admitted.

Remus Lupin frowned then looking at her asked: "I hate to suggest this, but you might wish to double check to ensure that he has."

"Excuse me?" She asked looking at the former professor. "Surely that would be impossible to fake."

"I wouldn't put it past him." Remus Lupin replied bitterly, his strong faith in the former headmaster had already been shaky before this summer but now, he wouldn't bet against any former of deceit. "I have been reading the paperwork I got from the goblins this evening, regarding my inheritance from my family, as well as what he kept hidden in order to make sure I felt that I owed him."

"I heard from Augusta Longbottom about how it went at the meeting, I was unable to attend due to having to question Molly Weasley but I heard that the meeting proved very illuminating." She replied.

"I expect that you will have several different people show up with charges of line theft as well as of the theft of funds and estates," Sirius replied.

"Yes, I spoke to Ragnok, he already filled me in on the reason for the qubit, and what the bank is going to do to prevent this from ever happening again. I am not sure how to deal with it in the Ministry as the people tend to wish to have others solve their problems, not to do so for themselves." She replied.

"Amelia, go home, get some sleep. The rest can wait until tomorrow." Sirius felt terrible as he began to take in how weary she looked. As they were exiting her office and was crossing the auror bullpen, he added "From what I understand from the note I received from Harry, he is being returned from the goblin kingdom sometime this week. I have a lot to do to prepare for his return."

"There you are Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, I have been looking for the two of you all evening."

"I swear whatever it is, I didn't do it." Sirius cheekily replied as he turned to face his former professor. "I haven't been a student in over twenty years, so it couldn't have been me."

Shaking her head as she attempted to hide her laughter, Minerva McGonagall said "I am going to regret this, but I need a few teachers to fill in this fall, and you two idiots come highly recommended. In fact, I just had a visit from Amos Diggory who used emotional blackmail regarding his late son to get you back on staff, Mr. Lupin.

Seeing his surprise, she sighed and told him. "Amos has been ranting and raving since the end of the school year about how his son died because the headmaster has repeatedly hired substandard professors in the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts. How his son felt that the only person he actually learned anything from, was yourself.

"I thought that Kingsley was going to take the position?" He asked.

"I rescinded the offer of Mr. Shacklebolt that I was forced to offer via the Headmaster," Amelia replied. "And I have to admit that my niece spoke very highly of your skill as a professor as well, Mr. Lupin."

"The school board will never allow me to teach." He pointed out.

"About that..." Minerva looked at the two of them and with a theatrical shudder admitted "The two of you are direct line descendants from two of the founders and should have had a position on the board this entire time, it is one of the things that the headmaster covered up.

* * *

Harry was laughing so hard that he fell off the stone bench he was seated upon as he watched his former headmaster fall into the Bog of Eternal Stench. The very arrogant wizard had disregarded Hoggle's warning and had attempted to cross the bridge and was now being yanked out of the bog by the teeth of a great big sheepdog being ridden by what looked like a small fox.

Hermione was chuckling but attempting to show a little more decorum than her best friend was showing. When the old man flailed and ended up back in the bog, this time pulling Riddle in with him, she ended up laughing at the dark wizard who kept telling Hoggle that he didn't smell anything. She crossly remarked: "Of course he doesn't smell the bog, he doesn't have a nose."

This set Harry and even the goblin king laughing again and that was the scene that the very quiet couple came upon on their exit from the castle. The woman wiped tears as she took in her son and the young woman with him while her husband held her as his own eyes feasted on the teenage boy.

The goblin king gained a hold of his laughter when he saw the couple and reaching for Sarah's hands, called out to Harry. "Harry, that surprise I was telling you about, please turn around."

Harry did so, expecting to see Sirius Black or even Remus Lupin, instead he froze as his eyes fell upon the couple standing there just outside the doorway. "Mum? Dad?"

"Har-Harry." With the cracking of her voice, the teenager flew into their arms and found himself being hugged tightly and cried upon as he was held for the first time he could remember by his parents.

Twenty minutes later, while the others remained quiet, James and Lily kept murmuring their son's name as he held onto them sobbing he was sorry that they died because of him. They gently reassured him that he wasn't at fault while he fell apart emotionally.

Eventually, Harry's sobs subsided as he began to realize that his parents were alive and holding onto him as tightly as he was holding onto them. In the quiet night air, they suddenly heard the sound of the headmaster's scream and all three turned to look in time to see that he was being chased by a large monster.

"Oh dear, you got Ludo to help with this?" Sarah was asking Jareth who gave her a smirk and then nodded. "What is he doing?"

"What he does best, scaring people, see unlike you most runners are scared of the over-sized carpet masquerading as a monster." He replied then when the headmaster had run into a stone wall, then Ludo disappeared, he looked over at the Potter family and announced. "I do need to know, Harry. Do you wish to face off with him?"

"No." Harry firmly replied in spite of hiccuping as a result of the strong emotional tears he had shed. "I have nothing left to say to him."

"I have something I wish to say to that son of a bitch." Lily Potter clenched her fists and glared at the old man who suddenly grinned and began to move in a decisive manner.

"He only has a half hour to go and he is too far away to secure his freedom," Jareth announced. "When the gong sounds he will be brought to the throne room of the castle, along with the other wizard. Its when we will perform the ritual to deal with this wizard named Riddle."

"Speaking of Tom, I wonder how he is doing?" Harry asked and to his pleasure, they found Tom Riddle in a clearing in some sort of forest with some skinny looking red creatures that were trying to remove his head and spouting fire as they breathed. As Tom threatened them, they popped their eyeballs out of their sockets and swallowed them returning them to the sockets.

One of them heard the sound of footsteps and said: "Another playmate man and this one is hairy."

A disheveled Albus Dumbledore appeared and to their amusement he found himself and his long beard tangled up with a tree branch while Riddle ignored his requests for help.

Tom hurried away and ran into a small goblin carrying a backpack covered with all sorts of items on it. "I do believe that this is yours."

Tom saw the Hufflepuff cup and grasped at it then did the same thing with the Gaunt ring and then the diadem and his journal. As he greedily became entranced with his belongs, Sarah grimaced and found herself gasping as unlike herself the creature didn't seem to realize that they were just things, inanimate objects that held no real value.

Eventually, those on the balcony heard the gong that meant thirteen hours had passed. Jareth nodded briskly at the Potters and then turned to Hermione Granger. "It was your wish that started it all. You get to decide what happens to Albus Dumbledore."

She looked at him then admitted: "I just wished for you to save Harry, that is all I wanted."

"Fine, I will decide the fate of Mr. Dumbledore." With that, he flashed into the black leather clothes that designated his station as the goblin king.

Harry let go of his parents and said in a shy tone, "Mom, Dad, this is Hermione, my best friend, my truest friend and I um, well sort of my girlfriend."

"Sort of?" James asked amused by his description of the young beautiful girl standing there looking a bit hurt.

"Well, we haven't actually gone out on a date yet, but I have really good hopes that we will and that I can ask her to be my girlfriend," Harry replied with an embarrassed grin as he looked at Hermione.

James watched as the young girl beamed a huge smile at his son and as his son blushed and chuckled at the sight. "Lils, it appears as if there is another girl in your son's life."

"That's okay, I heard all about Ms. Granger from Helga Hufflepuff." She replied with a smile at the young girl who had walked over to take the hand that Harry had held out to her.

"We should head inside, Jareth will be here soon with the runners," Sarah stated as she gently guided them into the throne room and found her future father-in-law waiting.

Feeling a bit awkward, having only met the man the day before, she was soon put at ease by the way that Oberon came to speak to the abovegrounders and herself. "Mr. Potter, I understand you have some unfinished business to resolve."

"Yes," Harry replied drawing strength from Hermione and his parents. "I need to recall all blood taken from me against my will."

Jareth appeared with his two runners being held in two crystal balls. "Mr. Potter I do believe that there is a ritual you need to perform."

Dumbledore was futilely beating on the wall of his crystal while watching as a tall dark haired man handed Harry Potter a dagger and was being shown how to cut his hand. He heard the words uttered and know that there was now no hope left for defeating Tom Riddle, without Harry he was stuck having to face off with the killer himself.

"I, Harold James Potter do recall all blood taken from me against my will and request that magic itself take vengeance against those who removed my blood against my will."

The wizard in the second crystal didn't even hear the words as he was so ensorcelled by the objects he had retrieved from the junk lady. He felt odd then disappeared from existence, no black bees, no leftover soul as the goblins had done their job and had destroyed all of the soul containers.

All that was left was the hand that Wormtail had cut off of himself which fell to the stone floor of the throne room. There was silence then Hermione breathed a sigh of relief and asked: "Does this mean that Voldemort is dead?"

"Yes, the goblins dealt with all of the horcruxes. He is gone." With that, Jareth turned towards his second runner who when they released him from his crystal, Jareth silence and announced: "I have yet to decide on what is to be your puni-."

Before he could finish, magic took hold of the body of Albus Dumbledore and lifted it twenty feet off the floor.

"Jareth?" Sarah looked at her beloved who had an astonished expression on his face. "What is it?"

"Well, well, it appears as if Mr. Dumbledore has removed some of Mr. Potter's blood without his permission. This is magic taking its punishment for the crime he committed." Oberon announced and when the old man settled back on the stone floor, he was clearly rather weak. Oberon held out his hand and with a shake of his head announced "Magic has removed itself from him. He is without his magic."

Hermione was shocked at the way that the old man sat there staring at his hand, as if unable to believe what had happened to him.

"Albus Dumbledore, it appears as if magic itself has declared you guilty of your crimes. I have no further way of punishing you except to return you to your world." Jareth declared. "You will be released back into the custody of the Ministry of Magic."

With that, he tossed a crystal and watched as the wizard no longer disappeared and reappeared in a jail cell in the dungeons of the Ministry. Turning to his father, he thanked him for his help and asked him to send home the young boy he had staying with him.

"Gladly, the young idiot has taken to flirting with your mother." Oberon grumpily replied. With that, he nodded in acknowledgment of the Potters and Hermione before bowing over his future daughter-in-law's hand, pressed a kiss to it and with a wink told her. "Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. You, my dear, are one who does, never lose that, it is what gives you your inner strength."

* * *

Amelia Bones was debating who to yell at as she walked through the auror bullpen. "What was so important that you had to interrupt my first night's sleep in three days?"

"I am sorry Madame Bones, but we have had some developments." She was told.

"That couldn't wait until morning?" She asked doubtfully.

"Madame, first, Albus Dumbledore appeared in a jail cell and we have a note from someone named Prongs stating that he has no magic but that he still might be a threat and then, well Amos Diggory called, he barely made any sense as he was crying hysterically but I felt you needed to be called because he is claiming that his son is alive and that he owes his return to Harry Potter?"

Dropping her eyepiece at that news, she hurried to the floo network and leaned down to call out to the Diggory residence. Dumbledore could wait, if he was in a jail cell, he was going nowhere.

"Amos?" She called out when she saw the other wizard appear with a huge grin on his face. "What on earth is going on?"

"Come through, quickly." He replied and when she did, she felt a sense of shock as she saw the handsome young man seated on a settee while his mother cried all over him. "He arrived about five minutes ago with a tale to tell."

Amelia staggered in shock at the sight and when she had been offered a small dram of fire whiskey took it and settled into a chair across from the boy who was telling his mother his story.

"I was in the maze and Potter, well he saved my life but didn't take the cup, he suggested we take it together as a victory for Hogwarts. I couldn't believe it, I mean, who does that?" He asked sounding bewildered. "Anyhow, we both placed our hands on the cup and then we felt the portkey activate."

"When we realized we weren't at Hogwarts, he had already pulled his wand, mine was still in my pocket." He said with an ashamed expression on his face. "I just figured something had gone wrong with where we were supposed to land but the next thing I heard was a voice telling this rat-like man who appeared to kill the spare and I was dead."

His mother sobbed and when Cedric had calmed her down, he said "I was floating above my body and I saw everything that happened. This man Pettigrew, he tied Potter up and then put this baby thing creature in this boiling cauldron and then cut off his own hand and he was reciting this ritual that made no sense, then he went over to cut Potter on the arm."

Amelia and Amos were both beyond stunned as Cedric filled them in on the revival of he who must not be named. Cedric then told them the rest. "He called for his followers and I recognized most of the names. I was shocked as they all began to appear. He walked around the circle they were standing in, pointing out who should be where and why they weren't, then he cut Potter loose and crucioed him twice."

Amos was sickened as he had never been subjected to that curse himself but he had seen it done on others and knew how painful it was. That this was being done to a fourteen-year-old boy sickened him.

"Potter though, he refused to bow to him, he stood there, even managed to fight off the imperious curse when the noseless guy tried to force him into bowing. Then they began to throw curses at one another, and something went strange. Their wands locked and this odd sort of colored net settled over the two of them then the light from their wands changed as Potter's overcame the noseless guys and then my sort of soul joined my ghost and I told him to hold on.

"Then some old man came out and a few adults I didn't know. They told Harry to hold on just a bit longer and then to break his hold and to go get the cup that it would take..." Cedric's voice cracked at that point before he continued "take him back to Hogwarts, I asked him to take my body back so that you would be able to bury me, and he promised he would, that he would. He did, in spite of everything, he had a whole hoard of death eaters trying to kill him plus their master and he still fought with them to take my body back to you all."

Wiping the tear falling down her face as she listened to what the young boy was telling them, she gained enough control to ask how he had been returned.

"I was in the other world when this tall blond man came to get me. It was Salazar Slytherin himself, he brought me to this arch and Potter and Granger were there with a bunch of others, I thought that one of them was Helga Hufflepuff at least she looked like the portrait in our common room."

Cedric looked at his parents and said: "They told me that I wasn't supposed to die that soon and that they were sending me back as soon as they dealt with the man who ordered me killed."

Amelia looked at Amos then said to him. "I just was called to the ministry, the guards told me that Albus Dumbledore without magic appeared in a jail cell with a note from someone identifying themselves as Prongs. The note warns that he still was dangerous for some reason."

"Do you think..." Amos Diggory had no doubts that Dumbledore had been honest about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named coming back to life, not now, but what did his son's return mean?

"I am not sure, but I am going to my office, going to arrange for a cot to get some sleep and when I wake up, I hope that I have more answers because right now, I have a million questions. Cedric, I am pleased to find out you are alive, please give me a few days to deal with this mess before you go out in public."

With that, she went back to the Ministry and settled in to get some sleep, needing it as right now, everything else could wait until she woke up.

* * *

Jareth and Sarah walked quietly down the path of the Labyrinth which was resetting itself for its next runner, holding hands as he explained what he had arranged for the Potters. "My father could send them back, whole and hearty, but they won't be able to have any more children. They accepted, of course, they wished to be with their son. Now, what about your family?"

Sarah sighed and then told him "My mother and I have slowly drifted apart when I told her I didn't wish to be an actress. She is happily married to Jeremy."

Jareth stopped their forward moment and then encircling her waist told her "I have something to tell you about Jeremy."

"What do you know about him?" She asked wearing a frown.

"He was once one of us. He is my second cousin, my father banned him from our world because he kept attempting to break the sacred vows of marriage by seducing married mortal women. I think that your mother was his last victim before he was banned."

Sarah shook her head in shock then looking at him admitted: "I don't know what to say except my mother was a willing participant."

"And your brother..." He asked.

With a grimace, she told him. "Toby has grown into an arrogant and selfish child, my stepmother give him everything he asks for and denies him nothing. My dad is always working and never has time for his family. I can see that he did the same thing during my childhood, its why he lost my mother. I feel so sorry for my stepmother, but we lost any chance of being close when I was such a brat to her. But she is dealing with this as best as she can."

"So, if I were to remove all memory of you from their minds, would you object?" He asked holding his breath.

Sarah thought about it and then softly admitted "No, my grandmother has passed and she was the only one who cared enough that would have missed me. What about Hermione, will she remember me?"

"Yes, as they are magical, they will retain all memories." He points out.

"I like her," Sarah admitted. "I like that she helped me get back here to you and that she had the strength to do what she did."

Pressing a kiss to her nose, he led her off to the gazebo at the center of the maze and then asked her to dance. "We don't have any music."

"We will make our own." He said as he tossed a crystal into the air and their clothes changed into more appropriate clothes for dancing and an entire orchestra appeared out of thin air.

* * *

Harry felt emotionally and physically drained after the retrieval of his stolen blood and was now fast asleep in the room he was sharing with Hermione in the castle. Hermione had drifted off to sleep next to him, while his parents sat on a nearby settee.

"That makes me feel old." Lily was saying pointing to where her son was curled up around the beautiful and apparently very resourceful young girl. "When we left he was just a baby."

James rested his chin on her shoulder and replied "We have so much to make up for. I am so sorry that I ever got you involved with the headmaster's so-called grand plan to take down the darkness."

"I was just as convinced he was on the side of the light." She said with a sad weary expression on her face. "What he cost our son, we can never make up for."

"As the king said, all we can do is move forward with our lives. Something that a week ago, was impossible. We get to return home, spend time with our son, our friends, to see those who we haven't seen in years, Lily." He pointed out. "Plus, this way we get to deal with your sister and brother-in-law."

"It's going to be difficult to deal with her, with him without giving in to the urge to use one of the unforgivables on them." She admitted with clenched fists as she thought about what she had been told regarding how they had treated her son. "As for Severus, he is going to be getting a piece of my mind too."

Pressing a kiss to the shoulder his chin had been resting upon, he said "We will be able to help make the changes that our world needs, Lils. To watch our son grow up and grow old even."

"What do you think of the offer of returning down here when our time has passed," Lily asked.

"I thought about it and am not sure how I feel. It would be different if Harry could come with us, but I would prefer to return to the fade if we were going to be separated from him again but we have all the time in the world to make that decision." He pointed out.

Lily drifted off to sleep, her eyes still on her son and resting her head on her husband's shoulder. James got as comfortable as he could then tugging his wife closer, watched his son and his wife until the dawn began to rise and throw light in through the window.

* * *

Sirius Black was pacing back and forth in his kitchen. He had received a note from the goblins telling him that his godson and a few guests would be arriving over the next few days as things got back to normal in magical Britain.

The bank was open, the borders too and Amelia Bones was holding a news conference to speak about all that had gone during the qubit, Bill Weasley had returned early that morning before heading to the bank.

Amelia Bones looked out over the gathered press and seeing a certain reporter narrowed her eyes and getting the attention of one of her aurors, had him make Rita Skeeter an offer she couldn't refuse. With that, she stepped back behind the curtain as she watched the foreign press arriving.

"It's nine o'clock, time to get this started." She briskly replied then watched as Rufus Scrimgeour who had heard from her this morning all that he had missed, drew some strength from someplace and led the way to the podium. The reporters and those in attendance were already shouting questions as they prepared to speak.

"Ahem." With that, everyone quieted down and Rufus announced: "The Ministry of Magic Department of Magical Law Enforcement is going to running this press conference as they took the lead in these investigations."

Amelia moved forward and held up to hard to get their attention. "Please hold all questions until I have finished speaking as we will be handing out copies of our reports as we go through each subject. First, some personnel changes. Rufus Scrimgeour is stepping in as the new Undersecretary for Magic, to assist whoever gets appointed as the new Minister in the changes we will be making, as a result, of...well you will understand as we go along. The previous witch in that position was found guilty of attempted murder of Harry James Potter and misuse of Ministry personnel as she sent the dementors to kill the young man."

The reported all gasped and were getting ready to shout questions at her when her aurors began handing out the writ of her arrest and her trial reports. "Mr. Potter was unharmed but a squib who lived nearby and another wizard Mundungus Fletcher were kissed."

This news silenced the crowd and she continued to speak. "Lead Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt was promoted to be Chief Auror. Now, are there any questions..."

TBC,


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Fleur Delacour was speaking to her father while at the foreign intake and exit office when she saw someone whose red hair resembled her boyfriend's. Moving closer to the muscle bond wizard, she asked: "Is your name Charlie?"

The man's friendly grin that was the same as his brother's told her the answer as she held out her hand and announced. "I am Fleur Delacour, I am spending time with Bill."

"He mentioned your name, you were the French TriWizard champion, you stunned him in your curse breaking training session, correct?" The friendly open face stated with a wicked grin. "It's been years since anyone in my family has gotten the drop on Bill."

"Yes." She replied then with a slight smile asked. "He told you about that?"

"Yes, and about your temper when he used your distraction to take you out, which had him acting goofy for days when he was writing to me," Charlie stated. "In fact, it was four letters before he mentioned you were part veela, which was the first thing my brother Ron wrote me about when he met you in his fourth year."

"I thought you were working at a dragon reserve?" Fleur inquired.

"I was, but I was asked to come home due to something that my mother did." He said with a heavy sigh. "I need to clear my name so that I can go back to work."

"I heard from Bill about this," Fleur said averting her eyes as she struggled to deal with the hurt at the thought that Bill's mother was so against their relationship that she would use a love potion on her son and two women to keep them apart.

"I don't know what to say, I am sorry on our family's behalf and I hope that you don't hold it against Bill, because he truly cares for you." Charlie awkwardly tried to express what his brother felt, he was more at home dealing with his large charges than with the female of the species.

"I know," she said with a bright smile coming to her eyes and lips. They heard the announcement stating that as of tomorrow morning they could travel to Britain and the duo walked back to Fleur's father who offered up one of his guest rooms at their home for Charlie to stay in for the night.

"Thank you sir." The dragon tamer accepted and as they left the floo port, Charlie's easy going ways did much to relieve the doubts and fears that Fleur's father had against the Weasley family as a whole.

* * *

At home at the Burrow, Arthur Weasley was shaking his head as he thought of all that he had learned that evening about his wife's activities and all she had been up to on behalf of the former Hogwarts headmaster. From interfering with Harry's mail and keeping his vault key in violation of Gringott's rules, he was also going to be having a long talk with his daughter after she had been questioned by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement along with his sons.

Ginny's questioning was the one that concerned him because Amelia Bones and Alastor Croaker had been furious to find out that Molly had put a stop to her receiving help after her possession during her first year attending Hogwarts. There were also questions as a result of what Molly had admitted to in regards to Harry and Hermione and her plans for the upcoming school year and the help that the headmaster had given to her to accommodate said plans.

* * *

Harry, Hermione and his parents were biding the goblins and their ruler's goodbye and Sarah was hugging the young girl and telling her that it wasn't a permanent goodbye when Hermione teared up.

"Harry." Looking at the Goblin king Harry shook his hand and thanked the fae king for all of his help. "Be good to her and remember to always recall her feelings. We will be watching as much as we can."

"Thank you, sir." Hermione was smiling through her tears as she looked at the king and impulsively threw her arms around him and said: "Without your help, I don't know what we would have done."

He looked at his queen as if asking for her help, but she merely held up her hands as if to say she could do nothing. "You are welcome, Hermione, now it is time for you to return to the aboveworld."

Reaching out to hold onto his queen's hand, he nodded at the Potter parents and then tossed the crystal that would send them to Gringotts as they would have to do a bit of paperwork to straighten everything out. Lastly, he ensured that they would remember their time in the Underground as most who came forgot.

Reaching for his queen's other hand, he pulled her close and pressing a kiss on her lips told her. "It has been foreseen, they will take the offer of immortality one day and will join us in the underground."

* * *

Amelia Bones had just finished discussing the trial of Delores Umbridge and was handing out the pictures of what they had found at her house when she heard someone snickering. Then another, and finally a third. Curious as to what they were chuckling about, she looked at Kingsley who had an overly innocent expression on his face.

"Shacklebolt?" She saw his smirk and then was handed a copy of the magical photos. Seeing the fourth picture from the top, she inwardly struggled not to laugh so that she would appear as professional as possible in spite of the sketch on the wall of Umbridge's home done by what looked like a child. It was a portrait of the former Ministry official as a toad.

"Please contain your laughter, we have much to discuss." She directed the crowd then went on to inform them of the biggest piece of news. "The International Confederation of Wizards sent observers to oversee a trial of the accused fugitive Sirius Black who was found not guilty after being questioned under veritiaserum and he also took a magical vow that he wasn't the traitor who exposed the Potter's location to He Who Must Not Be Named."

"We have issued a warrant for the arrest of Peter Nathaniel Pettigrew, who according to testimony given by Mr. Black is still alive. This was verified by the Gringotts goblins who informed us that they had sent out notification thirteen years ago to Chief Warlock that Mr. Pettigrew was indeed, alive."

There were some murmurs as people recalled that the wizard in that position was Albus Dumbledore. "According to the head of the bank, he personally informed Chief Warlock that Mr. Pettigrew was alive and that he had handed over the paperwork stating the same. Now, we have also learned that the Wizengamot never held a trial for Mr. Black, that he was summarily sent to Azkaban on the word of Dumbledore that he was the Potter's secret keeper and the word Mr. Crouch that he killed Mr. Pettigrew."

This time there was stunned silence from the reporters. "We have since learned that Mr. Black was to be appointed guardian of the Potter boy and that Albus Dumbledore wished to prevent that for reasons that I will be discussing at a later date. This has led to a charge of kidnapping to be filed against Dumbledore." She deliberately didn't give the old wizard any honorifics, well aware that things were going to be much much worse by the time she finished.

* * *

Harry was surprised when the head goblin himself led his parents and Hermione to a large opulent office. Hermione was stunned to be told that her own account goblin was waiting to have a word with her and that she was requested to have an adult there to act as her legal guardian in the magical world.

Lily Potter offered to do so then turned to her husband and smiling pointed out that he could always fill her in later on what they learned. Watching the two women in his life exiting the office, Harry was surprised to feel his father's arm hug him then turn him to face the head goblin who nodded towards the chairs and then suggested that they get started.

By the time the goblin finished speaking, Harry was dizzy with anger and resentment at all the headmaster had done to him when he realized that he could have grown up in any of the Potter houses and that he would have been kept protected from his aunt and uncle by the house elves.

"Why?" Harry cried out. "Why do this?"

"Master Potter, you are already by virtue of being your parent's heir, a very wealthy young man, plus as the heir to your godfather, you would inherit a second large family estate, add to that all the funds that people left to you after you defeated Tom Riddle and I am sure that you would be considered a large target for anyone interested in stealing your funds and power." The goblin announced.

"What do you mean people left money to my son?" James asked.

"When it was announced that your son had survived the fight with Tom Riddle, many families that were without heirs due to his decimating their lines, arranged for their estates to come to your son. Unfortunately, we were unable to prevent the headmaster from looting most of those estates." The goblin's fierce stare had James frowning as he was already angry about what the headmaster had done to subvert his wife and his wills.

* * *

Amelia Bones had taken a seat and turned the podium over to Augusta Longbottom and Griselda Marchbanks who were along with Mr. Greengrass explaining what they had learned from the goblins the day before regarding Hogwarts and the headmaster's crimes there. Once again there were handouts of papers detailing his crimes.

"Madame Longbottom, this information regarding the magical lines of the four founders of Hogwarts, have you attempted to locate those who are to inherit seats on the board?" One of the reporters asked.

"We have, I sent out owls requesting that those who are to inherit seats to get in contact with myself or Madame Marchbanks." She announced.

"May we expect any changes to the upcoming school year?"

"At this point, Minerva McGonagall has stepped in to act as administrator for the school, but we are actively looking for a new headmaster as she would prefer to teach and help with the paperwork than take over as headmistress," Marchbanks announced. "We are also looking to replace several professors and intend to do a complete audit of classes, the school itself and in fact the entire education process. However, we are going to move on this over the next three years."

"For now, you should know, we do intend to open Hogwarts as is the tradition on September 1st." Augusta Longbottom announced.

With that, Amelia was questioned about what would be happening to Albus Dumbledore. "Mr. Dumbledore is currently in a jail cell awaiting trial however it appears as if Magic itself has found him guilty as he was stripped of his magic by an unknown manner."

Amos Diggory and his son were awaiting their cue to step forth into the press conference, his son telling him all he had seen and heard while in the great fade. Amos felt a sense of awe as his son discussed spending time in the Underground and he mentioned meeting the founders.

"Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were speaking to them and from what Founder Slytherin announced when he came to retrieve me, they were the catalyst for my release." He replied. With a shake of his head, he admitted to his father "I had become resigned to my fate, now, to know I have my entire life to live in front of me, I have no idea what to do with myself."

"You have to go back to school so that you can graduate." Amos as most parents automatically fell back into parenting mode.

Cedric chuckled and said "Of course dad. I know that."

* * *

Hermione sat there, in stunned disbelief as the goblin explained about her familial connection to the Ravenclaw legacy. "Did the Goblin king arrange for this?"

"No, Ms. Granger your family line has always connected to the Ravenclaw line, we sent out paperwork to your magical guardian as required, unaware that your headmaster had claimed your guardianship so that he may attempt to keep this hidden. Thankfully the founders created a foolproof method to keep pretenders from claiming their estates, your inheritance is intact."

Lily was further surprised when the goblin, filled them in on what exactly she had inherited and that magic itself had appointed Lily as her magical guardian. "I do believe that our king was responsible for that bit of chicanery."

Harry meanwhile was trying to adjust to learning how much the headmaster had played with his life. James was attempting to stay calm in spite of wishing to do nothing more than to hex the headmaster and his former best friends for abandoning his son.

The goblin king had shown Lily and him how his son's life had played out and James was already struggling with his anger at Sirius for being tricked and even more at Remus Lupin for what he saw as abdicating his promise he had made to always be there for his son when he had was born.

Now, the goblin was filling them in on all that the headmaster had done to interfere in Harry's life. James was past angry when he heard the goblin announce that there was a pre-betrothal contract between house Weasley and House Potter for services rendered to House Potter.

"Wait, what?" James asked and he saw his son blanch in horror at the news. "I know that the Weasleys have a daughter but what possible service could they have rendered that would require a betrothal contract between our families considering the Potters are from the Original Twenty-Eight and the Weasley's aren't."

"It only lists the issue as a matter of a life debt." The goblin stated then looking towards Harry asked "Master Potter, do you know of any possible way that the Weasley family has saved your life?"

Harry shook his head in bewilderment. "No, I mean, maybe the time that the troll got into the school and we had to fight it in the girl's bathroom, or maybe when Ron sacrificed himself in the chess game when we went to save the Philosopher's stone?"

"No, in the case of the troll, it was Mr. Weasley's insults to the Granger girl and your inaction that led to her being in the bathroom. You both were in the wrong, and you saving her was righting the original wrong, so no life debt would be assigned to that." His father announced. Seeing his son's surprise at his knowledge, he filled him in on being shown his life via the magic of the goblin king. "I haven't said a word to you about it, because I understand after the life you led, why you would not wish to create waves."

Harry looked down at his hands then told his father. "I just...I was wrong, mainly because I was so sure that I would fit into the magical world and that she didn't fit in any more than myself, I was scared I would lose Ron's friendship."

"You were in the wrong to not stand up for your friend but I have made similar mistakes. You, however, learned from your mistakes and managed to befriend her." He replied, James was confused, he had seen what the Goblin King had believed to be all important incidents involving his son, so what could this be about. "Now, as to the chess game, there was no real threat to my son's life by the pieces so it must be something else."

Harry struggled to think of a time that his friend had saved his life and looking at his father admitted "I don't know of a single time that he did, Hermione yes, but Ron no. And to be honest, I have saved Ginny's life so wouldn't that negate this contract."

"Of course." The goblin pressed his finger to the contract and then nodded at the senior Potter. "That is what this is about."

"The problem is that they would owe my son, not my son owing them. This contract is beneficial to them, not our family. Cancel it and inform the Weasley family that they are not required to gift us with their daughter as payment." James replied while hiding from his son just how angry he was. He was rather certain that the Weasleys were attempting to take advantage of Harry's ignorance to commit line theft.

* * *

As the reporters began to shout questions at Cedric Diggory who had been introduced, his father held up his hand and demanded silence. "My son is going to explain what happened but only if you allow him to do so without interruption."

Cedric explained about his 'death' and what he had seen. His pale skin and suddenly tear-filled eyes as he explained what he saw while his soul was floating free silenced the group. He explained about the Great Fade and how he had been in limbo as he had died before his time. With that, he stepped back and the Unspeakable standing nearby showed the crowd the young boy's memory of the event.

"A brisk sounding blond man came to retrieve me and brought me out to the arch where Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were speaking to the rest of the founders. Founder Slytherin explained that I had died too soon and that I was being sent back. I was taken to some sort of kingdom of the Underground and kept there while they helped to straighten out whatever mess this snake like guy created in our world."

At this point, the reporters turned towards Amelia Bones who stood up and claimed that they had everything under control. "I received a notice from the goblins that a vault belonging to Tom Riddle Junior aka Lord Voldemort aka He Who Must Not Be Named was officially and for the first time declared dead."

This led to a gasp and she held up her hand and announced "It appears that Peter Pettigrew managed to return his master to life but we have since found out how he had committed this abomination. With the help of the goblins and their leader, we have managed to take down all of his suspected death eaters including those whose name was announced by Mr. Diggory. There are a few who escaped but are hoping that with the cooperation of the International Confederation of wizards to take those missing in custody."

* * *

Draco was staring in disbelief at his mother as he listened to what she was saying as he stood in the entrance way of his family's second house in Lyon, France, "But what about my friends?"

"Draco, do you understand that you would be unable to contact your father or me ever again if you were to return to England? That you would have no funds because they would be immediately confiscated?" She asked. "We will be taking the next portkey to Russia and we will begin a new life there."

"But..." Draco was staring in disbelief as he felt his world crashing down around him. "With Potter dead..."

"Potter isn't dead." His father tersely replied when he entered carrying an old book that was to be used as a port key. "I wish that I could say that he was at fault for this, but we are leaving because my former compatriots will wait until the chaos has gone away and then attempt to kill me and yourself so that they may take our power. Someday we may be able to return, but for now, England is not an option."

With that, the Malfoy family left for St. Petersburg Russia, following the lead of Nott Senior who however left his son behind. Theodore Nott who was too young and too sheltered by his father to follow his politics was bewildered as he sat in the family home, surrounded by house elves and a squib relative who his father had hired as a nanny for the boy when he had been born.

* * *

Lily and Hermione were rejoining the Potter men who were holding a medium size o ring that James quickly explained was a portkey that was going to take them to the Potter Gaer in Wales.

Hermione looked at the Potters and shyly admitted to wishing to see her parents. "I had not planned on spending the summer away from them this year."

"How about I go with you to speak to your parents, while Harry and James go to the Gaer." She suggested and saw her husband understood and from the way that Harry was smiling at his girlfriend, he did as well. "If it isn't safe for you to stay with your parents, we will suggest that they come with us."

* * *

Sirius Black was waiting for Harry as the day progressed. Remus had come over to join him, having already been visited by Dora Tonks who filled them both in on all that had gone on at the Ministry including the Diggory boy being returned from the Great Fade.

There was silence at being told that young Cedric had met with Harry and Hermione as Tonks filled them in on all that the young boy had told to the press. "He offered up his memories to them and there was complete chaos when they saw the resurrection of Riddle and then Harry holding him and an entire group of hardened death eaters off to return Cedric's body to his family."

"I would like to see what he has shown to everyone." Sirius quietly stated. "I have let Harry down enough, I need to know what he saw so that I can help him deal with it. It's going to be hard enough to work through all the damage wrought on him by Lily's sister and her husband."

Dora looked at her cousin and told him "Madame Bones suspected you might make that request and she is going to set it up for you when you are ready."

Remus who was seated next to her on the settee was shaking his head in disbelief as he read the copies of the reports that had been sent to him via Minerva McGonagall regarding what the headmaster had been up t0 at Hogwarts. Looking up, he told them "We might need to reconsider helping out at Hogwarts this year, mainly because Harry might need us more in the role of family versus teachers."

Sirius took the sheaths of papers and began to read while Remus who read much faster than he did, accepted copies of the handouts that the aurors had given to the press. "What happened to Fudge?" He asked while reading what was written about Umbridge.

There was a knock on the back door and Sirius quickly left hoping to find Harry but instead escorted in his former professors.

"He fled the country the minute he heard who had been outed as death eaters. He did so with whatever galleons he had on him though as the goblins closed down his vault." Tonks replied with a smirk that faded when she added. "We have captured most of the named death eaters and we located a few more in the Ministry that had remained hidden. Yaxley and MacNair of course, but Malfoy and Nott escaped."

"Nott left his son, he fled out of fear of his master," McGonagall announced then told, Sirius. "The spell on the manor has fallen."

"I crashed it down until Harry arrives since he didn't have a chance to receive the instructions of how to find my family home." Sirius pointed out. "Now, why would Nott flee, again?"

"He is a direct descendant of Slytherin, as is Mr. Lupin here." She stated. "He left his son behind though. I spoke to young Mr. Nott, his father left him in charge of the entire estate. He has a squib relative who stepped up to mother him and he should be fine."

"With Riddle gone, I am sure of that," Tonks replied. "What about my aunt?"

"I received a note requesting I forward Draco's school records to St. Petersburg academy but haven't done so. Apparently, the Malfoys aren't aware that the Russian Federation is turning away refugees who have the dark mark on them. The only country willing to accept them is the former penal colony of Australia. And only if they take a magical vow that I am certain old Lucius is not going to like." Minerva announced with a slight self-satisfied smirk on her face. 

* * *

Bill Weasley was finished with his questioning by the goblins having already gone through similar testing by the Ministry and was relieved to know that he still had a job. His only question now was did he still have a girlfriend? As he exited the exam area, he heard his brother Charlie speaking to someone and was thrilled to find his younger brother was talking to a beautiful and charming French girl who was laughing at him.

"Bonjour." He said as he approached and found his arms full of his girlfriend who pressed a kiss to his lips and then gave him a very tight hug before pulling his head down into yet another kiss. When they broke off the kiss, he told her "I wasn't sure that you would ever speak to me again."

"Bill, I am in love with you, not your mother." She said in very slow but precise English. "Besides, we are going to end up related to one another anyhow, so why take the time to fight?"

"Excuse me?" He asked completely confused as to what she was talking about.

Charlie however groaned and buried his face in his hands while Fleur began laughing. "I met your brother Charlie while the qubit was in place and invited him to stay at my family home. My sister met him and decided that she is going to one day be his much younger mistress if he refuses to marry her."

"Isn't your sister about ten years younger than you?" Bill asked with a smug look at his brother.

"Yes she is and yes, to your unanswered question, she is way too young to be choosing her future lovers, but it is her Veela side," Fleur replied with a soft chuckle and a shrug.

"Charlies, have you been questioned yet by the Ministry?" Bill asked as the trio exited the bank and headed towards the Leaky Cauldron where they found a seat and were soon being handed a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"Yes, I was also told that Dad and Percy were also cleared and that the twins were questioned as well. All that they knew was that Mum had been interested in Harry's personal business but they had dismissed it as mum being mum." He replied with a heavy sigh.

"Did you hear that Amelia Bones wishes to eventually question Ron and Ginny as well?" Bill stated after putting up a privacy charm.

"Yes," Charlie replied then looking at his brother told him. "I also heard that Mum is potentially looking at at the very least line theft charges and interfering in a Ministry criminal investigation."

"I spoke to dad this morning, Percy lost his job over this. Madame Bones has given him some sort of special second chance and he is going to be taking it, but when I tried to speak to Percy, he apologized and then told me that he is too embarrassed at having been such a fool to accept dad's forgiveness." Bill told him.

"I am lucky in that there are so few who have the ability to do what I do, so my job is safe. What about your job?" He asked.

"I am going to be fine, the goblins questioned me and then filled me in on a few things that I must discuss with dad before telling anyone about," Bill replied then with a grimace told him what he could. "Mum was illegally accepting funds from some account that belonged to Harry Potter. Dad was going to be responsible for paying it back but I had some galleons saved up from the prize money that I gave to them to keep dad from having to do it. What he is already going to be hearing is going to destroy him."

Fleur whose eyes were drawn to the newspaper saw the photo of the boy who had died during the tournament and lifted it, curious what it was all about and then gasped in shock. This got her boyfriend's attention and she quickly reached for a couple of the loose copies floating around and handed it to the brothers. The trio was silent other than an odd gasp of shock from one or the other as they read the Prophet from front to back. When they had finished, they sat there staring at each other then noticed that Tom the barkeep's eyes were upon them with a look that didn't bode well for their meal being free of foreign items. Quickly heading to the door, they hurried home and found it in an uproar. 

Their father was standing in the middle of the melee with the twins and Percy of all people on one side and their younger siblings shouting at the trio. Bill petrified Ron and Charlie did the same to Ginny then they both asked: "What on earth is going on?"

Arthur rubbed his temples and then looking at his eldest boys and Bill's girlfriend quietly explained. "I went to the Ministry to speak to Percy and then found out he was at home. I visited him there and he came back to the Burrow with myself as I needed to speak to the five of them as they all attended Hogwarts with young Mr. Potter."

"Is this about what the Goblins told me about?" Bill asked trying to avoid the actual subject if his siblings didn't know.

"The contract, no, I found out what you did Bill and while I appreciate the thought, I am going to repay the funds that you paid out." He replied with a quick look towards Fleur.

"Dad, I already told Fleur and Charlie about the money and no, I made that in the last year, I will make it again just as quickly." He replied. "Now why would Ron and Ginny be so upset at that?"

"Ron and your sister claim that Harry wouldn't care about the funds when I told them that the funds came from accounts other than Harry's, that I owe the goblins who would have automatically replaced the funds that were illegally removed and Harry wishes don't matter. Ronald then went on a rant about how rich Harry is and Ginny, well I am going to allow them to be questioned by Amelia, she might be right in thinking that they know more about this than I suspected."

"What dad isn't telling you is that Ginny outright claimed that when she is married to Harry someday it will be her funds anyhow," Percy told his brothers. "This got the twins riled up and they pointed out that there was a good chance that Harry could end up married to Hermione as her."

"Dad?" Bill looked at his father then at the rest of his family and asked: "Have you looked at the paperwork that the goblins offered up?"

"Yes, and I knew nothing about it. I am going to be speaking to your mother tomorrow then to your siblings." He announced sounding world-weary as he looked at his family. "Boys, please remove the charm off of them. I am going to forbid them to speak of this for now."

With that he did as he said then when they had been sent to their bedrooms, he asked the twins to return the funds to Harry that he had given to them. When they admitted to having spent quite a bit of it, Fred then told his father. "When we got a chance to break free from mom earlier this summer we went to the goblins and drew up a contract for Harry giving him a third of our profits as our partner."

"Fine, but I am not so sure he will accept that and frankly with what I learned this morning, you might not have a partner." Arthur replied then told them "Sirius Black as Harry's guardian tore up a wedding contract that the headmaster signed on Harry's behalf between himself and your sister. I was persuaded that it was only to protect the boy from his muggle relatives but didn't know the exact wording or that didn't have an out clause. I was sent a copy and frankly, it was so one-sided that I am curious as to what the headmaster was up to. Let's just wait until the fallout and I will speak to Sirius."

* * *

Hermione threw herself into her Mum's arms and found herself being tightly hugged. Her father reached out to pull her close and to give her a tight hug himself. "Anyhow, that is what has been going on?"

"I am so glad you are home, but I just don't understand why your headmaster would do such a thing?" Her mum was asking. Seeing the red-headed woman, she steeled herself to deal with the same condescending bull crap that she put up with from the other redheads for her daughter's sake.

"He did it because he was or is a manipulative son of a bitch who pays lip service to claims to be a light wizard but who in truth is playing the part to hoodwink the sheep of the magical world into obeying his every single idiotic order. Thankfully he is now without magic and that is due to the brains and courage of your very beautiful daughter." Emma Granger felt her eyes widen at this magical being her sort, clearly, she didn't hold to the belief that the headmaster could do no wrong.

"The goblin king helped." Hermione offered with a slight giggle.

"Only because you wished my son away." Lily pointed out. "Now, I have to go keep my husband from teaching my son how to be an animagus or asking him to show him how well he flies that broom of his. Hermione, if you need me or if your family needs to escape even if it if from muggles, call me using the mirror I gave you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter." She shyly replied.

"I will check on you in a few days and I am sure that my son will be either by in person or will send an owl to you. Enjoy the time with your parents." With that, Lily popped out of the house and to the family estate in Wales.

At the Granger house, Hermione and her parent sat down at the dining room table and talked while waiting for their delivery of dinner, with the very intelligent girl finally filling her parents in on all that she had kept hidden and that had been kept from her.

"So, we have magic?" Her father asked sounding skeptical.

"No, more like..." Hermione stopped then said, "It's sort of been dormant in your DNA and when you two married and you both had those genes it created myself."

"Good because I am an old dog and am too old to be learning new tricks." He replied with a wink.

Hermione groaned at the terrible pun and eagerly explained to her parents about what she had learned in the underground and how there was a good chance she could learn to be some sort of animagus.

"What kind of animal would you like to be?" Her father was asking fascinated by this idea, even as he opened the delivery cartons of food.

"It doesn't work like that. You have an inner spirit animal and that is what you become." Hermione said then told her parents. "I would like to be some sort of cat but it doesn't feel right. Like my spirit animal is something else."

"Maybe you're an owl." Her mother suggested. "You often remind me of an owl."

* * *

Lily entered the grounds grateful that the magical spell that they had placed on the estate had kept it from falling apart. Entering the keep, she found her husband introducing her son to their magical ancestors' paintings.

She could tell that something had upset him but that he was clearly keeping his temper under control as he filled their son in on his family's history. Harry for his part was looking so thrilled to meet his relatives, sounding truly interested in even the most boring story that was offered up. By the end of the hall of portraits, Harry looked around and saw his mother was seated on the stone steps watching the two of them. "Mum, where is Hermione?" 

"She is with her parents. They were eager to spend time with her and she with them. I placed some protections around her house. I was rather stunned to realize that no one had done so. I did promise that you would either pay her a visit, or that would owl her tomorrow." She told him and saw his smile.

"Good, maybe I could spend a day in Crawley with her." Harry offered up in a questioning manner. "If I may have my parents permission." 

His father winked at his mother then asked: "Have you done your school summer homework young man?"

Harry laughed and admitted, "Yes, Hermione made sure I did it while we were in the Underground after our trunks caught up with us."

"Well then after we visit a couple of old dogs tomorrow, I would suggest paying a visit to your young lady," James replied then looking around frowned and called out for the house elves that should be all over the house.

To his pleasure, one showed up and then seeing Harry began to weep and beg his forgiveness by stating that the headmaster had blocked them from being able to sense their young master.

"Many of our kind were driven to madness at the loss of magic and some were sold but couldn't bond with their masters and were driven insane." The house elf named Pitts told his masters. "Murthy's young son was sold to the Malfoys and Dobby's could not bond and he was harmed repeatedly."

"Dobby?" Harry's shock at that name being mentioned soon had a rather bedraggled house elf appearing and calling out his name.

"Master Harry Potters sir?" The house elf looked around and saw to his joy that he was back home and burst into tears and asked: "Is the bad wizard gone?"

James who remembered Dobby as a small child elf, swallowed the lump in his throat when he saw the scars and damage done to the house elf and announced. "Yes, the bad wizard is gone. If you know where any of the other missing house elves are, please inform them that we have returned and wish for them to return to their home." 

"Home?" Dobby asked in a soft quivering voice.

Harry reached down to grasp Dobby's hand and ignoring the house elf's trembling fear, looked into his eyes and firmly replied. "Home."

James and Harry looked at one another and the young boy for the first time saw his father's anger and said: "Albus Dumbledore will pay for his crimes against more than us, dad."

"Yes, he will. Harry, I know that you are fond of Sirius from what little time you have spent with him, but I need to face him by myself before allowing him near you. I need you to trust me."

I do, dad." Harry replied then after hesitating told him. "Dad, I think that the headmaster did something to Sirius. Something that Hagrid told me about the night you died, makes me sure of it."

"I suspect the same but I need to face him and Remus..." He replied then looking at his son told him. "I would have given my life to protect them and their family. They were lax and not on their guard and they abandoned the one person I asked them to put above all others."

Lily came up and placed her arm around her son's shoulders and said with a slight lilt to her voice "Would you like to see your baby pictures?"

Before he could come up with a reply he found himself guided up the stairs and to a bedroom. He stood at the entrance in shock at the beautiful bedroom decorated in greens and blues with a crib and enough stuffed animals to fill a zoo.

Lily nodded at James who reluctantly left their son with her to deal with and left to go deal with those who had let his son down repeatedly. First, however, he knew he had to make a visit to his former school, something his son told him about the supposed protections surrounding the house on Privet Drive had him very curious as to how the old man had gotten hold of such dark items.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: A reviewer complained the last chapter felt chaotic and repetitive. Since that was what I was going for, I am going to take their complaint as a compliment. Unfortunately, when I wrote the chapter, I ended up with over 14000 words and had to cut it into two parts.

The beginning with everyone stunned and almost disbelieving their ears as they discover the truths of their world, but it is also important to note who doesn't know what. Arthur Weasley and ninety percent of the magical world not knowing that James and Lily are alive, Severus Snape not knowing that Lily is alive. These matter in the rest of the story.

 **Chapter Seven**

Minerva McGonagall was waiting for Amelia Bones to arrive along with her aurors as she dealt with the crisis created by the headmaster's manipulations. She had already had one shock this morning, the press conference where young Cedric Diggory had spoken had horrified her as she had listened to the story of his death, and thrilled her as he spoke of being returned and Harry's part in it.

Now, she was doing what she could while trying to figure out who to recommend to take the job that she had long believed to be hers. She was fine with not getting the position, having been forced to take a good long look at her faults but she still had a job to do.

As she strolled down the empty corridors of Hogwarts, she went through her list of replacement teachers. Remus Lupin was going to be back teaching DADA. She had taken satisfaction in firing Sybil Trelawney after being told why the headmaster had kept her on as a professor. She had convinced the board to shut down the class and insist that the students taking it to enroll in either Muggle studies or Magical laws class.

Binns had been let go and Sirius Black had taken over the class. She wasn't so sure that was such a good idea, she was more concerned that after years of ennui, the students might die from the shock of having not only a live teacher but one whose version of history was surely going to rock the magical world.

Hagrid was on special assignment for the headmaster and had been unreachable so he had no idea the changes that were taking place but Minerva was well aware that Hagrid was a terrible teacher even if he did have an affinity for the animals. That was one conversation she was unsure how to have.

Arriving on the third floor, she thought she heard footsteps, no that wasn't it...blinking as she realized that it sounded more like hooves, she went expecting to see one of the Centaurs but to her surprise, she saw a large stag deer that looked familiar. When the eyes of the stag met hers, she felt a sense of shock that this wasn't a true stag but an animagus. Pulling out her wand, she was about to throw a curse when to her surprise, the stag began to transform and Minerva took one look at the dark hair before passing out.

Shaking his head in amusement, James knelt down next to his former professor and godmother and debated what he should do to help her just as he heard footsteps. Looking up he saw a stout looking woman and could tell she was about to speak.

"Oh dear." She said as she too knelt down next to McGonagall. With a rueful expression on her face, she announced: "I am guessing from how much you resemble young Harry, that you James Potter were returned from the Great Fade?"

"Yes, and why aren't you more shocked?" He asked as they helped a now awakening Minerva McGonagall.

"I was expecting it from what I heard from Mr. Diggory about how your souls exited Riddle's wand." She replied then when Minerva was more stable, told the elderly woman what she had come to say then left them knowing she would hear the story the next morning.

"Severus has finished his wellness visits of students in his house, he only has Mr. Nott and his godson to go. I finally reached Hagrid, he is returning immediately." She told the temporary head of the school. With a nod towards James Potter, she left to return to trying to decide what to do about the fact that Cedric Diggory deserved to be at the very least prefect for his year.

She saw the auror contingent approaching and with a brisk nod at Dora Tonks, continued on her way to go speak to Madame Pomfrey about what that good witch needed for the infirmary.

"Is Lily back as well?" Minerva asked when she was finally able to speak. She missed seeing the aurors arriving and stopping shocked at the sight in front of them.

Her eyes looked at the taller and clearly thirty-five-year-old man dark-haired man and saw that while they had long believed young Harry to be a clone of his father, he wasn't when compared in real time.

"Yes." James replied then with a terse clipped tone asked: "How could you go along with his idiocy?"

She looked down at her hands then up into his very angry eyes and admitted "I just...I just believed in his goodness. I let so many things go that I should have questioned, things that didn't need to happen."

"My son grew up in hell and when he came here to Hogwarts, where he should have been safe and guided towards a healthy future, he instead dealt with murderous teachers, a head of house whose lapsed care meant he kept being forced back into the hell he grew up in and then there is that twice damned tournament. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID AND WHAT YOU DIDN'T DO."

James looked at her then with a scornful expression added "That doesn't even count allowing Snape to take out his anger and jealousy regarding us onto my son. I will be dealing with him and you might wish to warn him that Lily...that Lily wishes to speak to him."

With that, he realized that others were nearby. Looking at them and trying to ignore the helpless tears in his godmother's eyes, he categorized who was who then looking at Amelia Bones, announced "I am here to retrieve some stolen property that was removed from my vault that contains family blood. Don't get in my way."

"You can't remove evidence, James. You know better than that." Amelia pointed out not even fazed by talking to a dead man after all crazier things had happened earlier that week.

"Amy, it contains my son's blood. You, if you are still half the investigator you were, have more than enough to deal with Albus Dumbledore. I won't risk my son's blood ending up in anyone else's hands."

She looked at James and nodded, with a sigh, she admitted "I don't like it but I understand. Minerva, are you up to getting us into the tower?"

"Yes." She wanly announced and then when they had entered the office, James looked at Fawkes when they talked about why Dumbledore's bird was still there.

"Because he isn't Dumbledore's familiar, he is the reincarnation of the Firebird that once belonged to Godric Gryffindor himself. He is here at Hogwarts to protect it, he never was bonded to the headmaster." James stated cutting his hand and using his own blood, began cursing as a few dozen different shiny objects began to light up.

Amelia saw the same thing and with disgust looked at James and announced. "I suspected he was keeping watch over your son, but this? This is criminal and a bit frightening at the very least."

James who thanks to his mother knew what most of those devices did, cursed yet again when he saw the one that affected his son's intelligence. "I have to destroy these."

"I know of a place." Amelia offered when he had gathered them up, introduced him to Dora Tonks and explained who she was. "She can arrange for you to use the veil and then take you to deal with a couple of old friends."

Nodding his thanks, James looked at Minerva McGonagall and announced "I am going to leave but I will be back and we will be discussing this entire mess until I feel that I have a complete understanding of what went on. When Hagrid returns, please inform him that I wish to speak to him as well."

* * *

Harry was dealing with his pain at his lost childhood even as he found himself in the center of a hoard of suddenly appearing house-elves including Dobby. As they bonded with him, he tried to object but found he couldn't as he felt their joy and happiness at being in contact with him.

With an apprehensive expression on his face, he explained to his mother about Hermione and her quest to free the house elves. "I will talk to her, explain what she should have been told when she began this."

"Mum, what about your side of the family, minus Aunt Petunia," Harry asked. "She never mentioned them."

As Lily began to tell him about her late parents, she skillfully drew from her son about his life with her sister. Soon she had another name to add to her list, Vernon Dursley's sister Marge was going to feel her wrath.

When Harry mentioned about being hungry the house elves were now bickering about who was going to fix him something to eat. Lily gained control and announced that she was going to cook her son some dinner and suggested that each house elf come to her and tell her what their specialties were.

Harry in the meantime was sent explore, she suggested the east side meadow. He didn't get what his mother meant until he saw to his everlasting joy a Quidditch pitch with a small shed containing equipment. Finding a jersey that had to be his fathers, he tried it on and while it was a little big, he had grown while underground so it nearly fit.

Pulling out his wand, thinking on what his father had told him about magic being unplottable on their land, called for his Firebolt. Soon he was up in the air, chasing the snitch and laughing joyously as he found himself playing in the dawning twilight.

Lily from her spot in the kitchen watched her son's skill on a broom and quietly laughed, knowing that he had inherited his father's skill but that his natural talent outstripped James'.

* * *

James thanked Croaker who dropped his hood and told the younger man. "Your return was foreseen. You will teach your son and he will go forth to be a powerful and fair leader of our people. Young Ms. Granger will be at his side. The picture was blurry for a long time, but magic and our place in it is back on track."

"My son paid a heavy price for this." He replied.

"Yes, he did. I have only recently learned the depth of what Albus Dumbledore was doing but have long suspected him of foul play. Your friends were victims as well." He was told.

"I am too angry with them to forgive their weaknesses," James admitted.

"Follow your son's lead. He has the ability to forgive even after all he has been through. Many were fooled, however, many were in the know about at least part of head master's plans. Those are the ones to worry about."

When James nodded in acknowledgment of what he said, Croaker stopped him and announced. "While he must pay for his sins, young Mr. Prince, or as you know him, Mr. Snape was blindsided by learning the truth about the headmaster. He is a foolish and prideful man but he has spilled blood to protect your son this summer. He isn't the enemy, the enemy the is complacency that has been allowed to fester among us."

James went to where another Unspeakable was waiting with Dora Tonks. The magical wearing the robe nodded at them then guided them to the exit. Once outside of the Department of Mysteries, James looked at Dora and asked. "Where are they staying?"

She hesitated then admitted "Grimmauld Place. Here in London."

James who was walking towards the lifts stopped and turned. "Why on earth would Sirius ever step back in that horrid place?"

With a sigh, she told him "Because the headmaster promised that if Sirius opened it up for the Order of the Phoenix, he would arrange for Harry to come for the summer."

"Why would...fuck!" James swore. "How is it possible that Sirius was fooled into forgetting he was given custody of Harry and that as he blood adopted him he doesn't need the headmaster's approval for shit."

Tonks looked at him and then told him what they had learned. "Molly Weasley was drugging him. She was sending him care packages on behalf of the headmaster that contained potions."

* * *

Amelia Bones was staring aghast at the stockpile of potions and potion books with handwritten notes and shuddered. "Thank Merlin, James has already left. If he found out about these while he was here, my god, I don't think I could hold him back from killing the old man."

Kingsley Shacklebolt, brought a newly arrived Snape to the tower at her request, saw the wizard frowning as he looked at each of the vials and then at the books with the handwritten notes and each time he figured out what each potion did, his face got blacker and blacker until Amelia saw his wand was sparking from the anger. "I would suggest placing your wand on the desk."

"Is that an order?" He snapped.

"No, it is a very strong suggestion." She retorted and he stared at her for a few tense seconds than did as directed. He looked over at Minerva and saw that she was several deep shades of red as she looked ready to claw someone's eyes out. "I gather you were unaware of these potions were and who they were made for?"

"Yes and yes." He snapped then with a heavy sigh told her. "I suspected he was up to something, but nothing this serious."

Minerva saw the piles of folders with names she vaguely recognized as Hogwarts students and that many were the same names that the Goblins had given to them. "More proof that he was stealing from muggleborn students, their family histories. Plus he kept files on former Slytherin students, Severus."

With a bitter shake of his head, he told her. "A list of possible Death Eater recruits and those he felt he could turn to help him in taking down Riddle."

Amelia gathered up everything, then sent it along with Shacklebolt before telling the two professors. "I understand that you are opening the school on time, but how are the true finances? August Longbottom said that you have been looking into things?"

With a soft sob, Minerva told her. "We had have had money all along, he hid funds that were set up for the school as well. I am holding off purchasing anything extra until Filius and his brethren verify what we found but money wise the school should be in great shape."

Amelia exited the school grounds and walked towards Hogsmeade where her next appointment was. Arriving at the Hogshead Pub she was soon seated across from Aberforth who had already met with the Goblins.

"You should know, I already paid a visit to your office. The funds that were in our old family vaults, our family was broke when I graduated from Hogwarts." He wearily told her. "Who did he steal it from?"

"Too many people to list." She told him. "I have several questions."

"I don't know what I can tell you. We were brothers but we weren't close." He replied. "I blamed him and his lover, for our sister's death."

"I never knew that Albus was involved with anyone." She replied.

With a deep cleansing breath, he gave away one of his brother's deepest darkest secrets. "He was involved with Gellert Grindelwald the year after he graduated Hogwarts."

"Oh, Merlin." She said, that was the very last thing she ever expected to hear, but then thinking about what Lupin had inferred made a mental note to verify that Gellert died how Dumbledore had told everyone. Regaining control of her emotions, she went through her list of what he knew, when he knew it and then asked his opinion.

"My brother when he was young, was very ambitious and loathed muggles for what happened to our sister. He blamed them for how his ambitions were denied, I thought he had gotten over that urge to rule the world when he took down Grindelwald. Now I rather fear that he just found a new way to try to get his way." He answered. "One thing, I read in the Prophet that he no longer has any magic. What is keeping him alive?"

"I am not sure." She admitted. "I suspect that it is some form of Underground magic as he lost a battle with its Goblin king." She thanked him for his time and then exiting the pub returned to the Ministry and told Rufus and her people what she had learned.

"Merlin, who do we send to find out?" Rufus asked as he looked around the room at those gathered. Just when they thought that they had seen and heard it all.

"I will question him, but suspect that he would have hidden the secret using magic because how had he managed to keep the secret all these years?" She stated.

Tonks let herself and an invisible James Potter into the large manor house. "I wonder where everyone is?"

Hestia Jones entered the hallway and couldn't see who was with Tonks but answered her question. "Lupin went to Little Whinging, looking for Harry and Sirius went to speak to the Granger girl. Most everyone has cleared out and returned to their own homes, except Emmeline and me. We are only staying to help if Harry shows up."

"Why?" She asked.

With a shake of her head, Hestia told her "With what we learned about Molly using potions, and as well as how we both felt after being purged and the difference to how we felt before... plus how she was talking about the poor boy, we both felt that it might help."

Tonks admitted: "Harry has been found and my guess is that he has already taken either a purge potion or will be given one by those he is staying with."

"Not the Dursleys?" She asked frowning at the young auror trainee. "I realized once I was free and clear of the potion was how angry I was about the family that the headmaster stuck the boy with. How angry I was with the headmaster, period."

"No, people who love him." She said struggling not to look towards where she knew the boy's father was standing.

"I will let Emmeline know. She is eager to get back to her place but was worried about Harry, too. Sirius Black and a very serious adult Sirius Black worried about his godson are too much normally, with our stretched nerves from all we have learned, and we were only staying for the Potter boy. I wish..."

Tonks saw the woman's shoulder's droop and then leave as she went to speak to the rather austere witch. James let the charm drop and then looking at Tonks inquired. "Molly Weasley fooled all of you? How?"

"We were fools. The only ones who were found not to be drugged were her own children minus Bill who she was using love potions on to make him fall for me. It didn't work, which made her even more desperate."

Shaking his head in disgust, he decided to go to Little Whinging, having been there once when Lily had felt it necessary to visit with Petunia.

Arriving in the backyard of the house that Lily had purchased on Privet Drive. Seeing the photos and knowing the woman in them, he viciously cursed a couple of pillows and exited the house, knowing exactly why she had been there. As he was crossing the street towards the house where his son had suffered, he saw the light he knew was associated with spellwork and entered through the back door just in time to see Remus Lupin intimidating an extremely obese man.

"I should let you kill him, but I won't." He announced and saw the werewolf turn and throw a spell his way. Ducking away just in time, he announced. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good. Plus, I can do this."

With that, he changed into Prongs and heard his brother-in-law whimpering. Turning back into his human form, he ignored the screeching of the woman seated nearby and the angry roar of the fat man and told his former friend. "I was sent back from the Great Fade to right the wrongs committed against my son. Tell me why I should not start with you?"

The strong smell of urine filled the air and James crossly looked at the Dursleys and announced. "I am not talking about you. You are going to be facing my wife's wrath and it won't be pretty."

With that, he looked at his friend whose complexion was now gray and really looked at him. "Oh shit, Remus, what have you been doing to yourself?"

"I won't offer any excuses James, but first, tell me do you have Harry with you, Sirius and I have been looking for him." He said, his eyes still on the Dursleys.

"Yes, he is home at the Keep with Lily. Let's go find Sirius and leave these cretins to stew in their own juices. Lily will deal with them when she is ready to. Dursley, Petunia, there are no words that you could say that will save your worthless souls."

With that, James used his wand to destroy the door to the cupboard under the stairs, gave his brother-in-law an icy cold assessing look and saw that the idiot had started to hyperventilate. "Your time is coming."

Rufus exited with him and James inquired about Arabella Figg and Rufus grimaced and told him. "She fled already. Sirius found out that she had been keeping the funds that were being sent to Harry for herself and that she knew of how the Dursleys treated him."

"That bastard used Potter and of all things, Black family heirlooms to monitor my son and to leech off Harry's magic," James told him as they cut through the nearby back garden to the property. "What's worse is that Lily bought this place so that we could keep an eye on her sister, the headmaster had to have given it to Arabella."

When they were once again in private, James decked Remus and then with a glare told him. "There will be more of that, but for now, we need to go to the Granger household."

Sirius Black was telling Hermione and her parents about what had been going on after she had wished away Harry while eating dinner with her parents. All Hermione had told him was that Harry was safe and that she was forbidden to speaking of his location.

He had been rather sure if she knew what had been going on, she would relent but all she had done was tell him that she was keeping her promise.

Sirius respected the young woman so he let it go, knowing that if Harry was in any danger, she would not be so calm so he bided his time and hoped that eventually, she would realize that he loved his godson.

There was a soft knock on the door, and Hermione's father went to answer it, while her mother asked Sirius about what would happen to the Weasley woman. "She is at least facing prison, but it's her kids that are the real question."

Hermione thought about it and told him. "I would hate for it to be true, but also fear that Ginny at the very least knew, Ron, there was no reason for him to be involved except to help his sister and he is too selfish for that."

Remus entered the kitchen having talked James into waiting outside while speaking to Hermione's father about his daughter. "She truly is a wonderful young witch."

"Professor." Hermione nodded at her teacher and with a deep breath told him. "I can't tell you where Harry is, I promised..."

"Hermione, it's fine. I am aware of who Harry is with, I have come to remove an old dog from your home and to take him to his godson." He replied.

Hermione's eyes went wide all of the sudden and she turned to Sirius and asked him. "Would you please show my parents..."

With a chuckle, Sirius moved away from the table and to the Grangers amusement, a large shaggy black dog was now in his place. Sirius changed back and Hermione told him. "I might be able to do that."

"I have no doubt about that," Sirius replied then thanking the Grangers and patting Hermione on the shoulder told her. "You did the right thing, Hermione. I would hazard a guess and say that you not only saved Harry that day, but you also saved all of our world."

"I'm sorry for what I said..." She awkwardly started to speak only for him to shake his head no then tell her that she had been right.

"I was so thrilled to be out of Azkaban that I forgot all my hard fought lessons about trusting others and then even more foolishly accepted food from a woman that I knew even in school had a bad habit of using potions." He replied then thanking the Grangers for dinner exited the house only to run into a hard fist and to land prone on the lawn.

"That was for being stupid enough to turn my son over to Hagrid." the cold voice informed him. "I fully intend to kick your ass for going after Peter when you get up."

Sirius looked up and saw the familiar face as twilight came; Shocked at first then feeling the rightness of the situation replied: "I deserve it, but first, where is Harry?"

"With his mother." He was told then when a hand reached out to help him up, Sirius took it only to end up sucker punched. James saw he was unconscious and muttered about Sirius having a glass jaw then used magic to stand him up. With that, he reached out for Remus and told him to hold onto the o ring and they were soon arriving at the Potter family fortress.

The Potter family spent a long night talking, crying and sometimes James would sporadically deck one of his longtime friends but by dawn, the air had cleared and Harry found himself with everything he had ever longed for, minus one item, Hermione present.

Sending his best friend an owl, he yawned and fell into the newly altered bed in what had been his nursery, a bit amused to realize that his mother, father, godfather and Uncle Moony kept popping in to check on him.

Noontime came and went and with reluctance, Sirius and Moony were telling a laughing James how they were going to be teaching at Hogwarts that year. "What about head of house?"

"Thankfully, McGonagall is going to be keeping that position," Sirius replied with a heavy sigh of relief. With a look at the married couple, he asked. "What are your plans, now that you have returned? Is Harry going back to Hogwarts later this month?"

Lily thought about what they had talked about. "James is going to take the reins of the Potter family estates, I would recommend that you do the same, Sirius. I know that you hate your family, but if we don't change our world, we are going to have to deal with another wizard or witch attempting to take over the world in twenty years because of the inequalities created by the current laws."

"I have already been making changes." The former prisoner told her then muttered the spell to make his family ring visible. "I did it at first to oust the Weasleys from Grimmauld Place. When I put the ring on, I saw the whole history of my family, of a family that turned to the dark only two centuries ago, a family that once upheld the honor and faith that magic instills in us."

James looked at his friend and saw the shadows that were hidden below his surface calm and inquired "Are you sure you are up to teaching? I know that Severus is at Hogwarts, are you up to dealing with him on a daily basis."

"Yes, I was teaching History of Magic so that I could stay close to Harry. Which thanks to all I have learned via my family ring, should prove interesting. Add to that, I inherited a seat on the Board of Governors, hell so did Remus and I would guess as a descendant of Gryffindor that you did as well. " Sirius replied. Then reluctantly, he told James about what he had learned regarding Severus protecting Harry that summer. "He was one of the only ones other than Remus and I who were concerned about Harry's mental well-being this summer."

"James, Hogwarts is in danger of closing, the damage the headmaster did was worse than I ever suspected," Remus added. "I knew something was off when I was teaching there, the battles between the students was almost as bad as when we were at war. I think that the time has come for Hogwarts to be renewed."

Lily had a thought and looking at James asked. "How did Professor McGonagall react to your being alive?"

"She passed out but then seemed to accept it, why?" He inquired.

"I am thinking that she could use some help this year, and it would allow us constant access to Hogwarts and our son if I were to take one of the open positions that are available." She suggested. "Harry will follow Hermione and Hermione is going to return to school."

* * *

Amelia Bones heard the gasps and shouts of the name Potter coming closer to her doorway and she moved to stand at its threshold in time to see the entire Potter family being greeted by her department. The abashed expression on young Harry's face had her quietly chuckling before telling her people to get back to work.

"Well, young Harry Potter it is good to see you are alive. Let's step into my office and we can talk." She suggested and when the entire family was seated she looked at James and stated: "I was sure that nothing would keep Black away from the three of you."

Lily laughed and reached out to shake the hand of the witch who had been a few years older than them at Hogwarts. "Sirius is in the Ministry, but he is dealing with some Black family legalities. Remus Lupin is here too, keeping a leash on Sirius."

"Hopefully, not literally." She replied with a deadpanned tone of voice. Hearing the young boy laughing, she admitted: "When he showed me how he escaped Azkaban, I wanted to muzzle the old mutt."

There was some more light conversation then they got to why they were there. "So, what do you need from us?"

"I will need a signed statement and healers report stating that you are alive but otherwise, thanks to the headmaster's manipulations your will was never filed so you are still you." She replied. "As for the trials..."

Lifting the thick pile on her desk she told them. "This is only the first set and already rock solid cases against the old man. I think that he is going to be on trial until he dies. Harry, what do you wish to see happen?"

"The goblin king asked me the same question, I just want him to be told to stay out of my life, I think that the loss of his magic and his prestige is worse for him than a trial. I can't help thinking that being ignored will hurt him."

"I will bring that up at my next staff meeting. Now on to a more delicate subject. Molly Weasley."

"What about Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked and James looked at Lily who looked at Madame Bones then reaching for her son's hands, told him what the red-headed woman had been up to.

The young boy looked relieved then told his parents and the woman behind the desk. "Oh, I knew about all of that from the Goblin King."

"How do you feel about it, Harry?" Madame Bones asked to gauge whether or not to tell him immediately about what the older witch had confessed.

The teenager bit his lip then admitted "I am not sure how I feel about what she has done. I have to admit..."

He stopped speaking and then taking a deep breath and being honest told them. "She once told Ginny and Hermione about using a love potion on her husband, I was surprised at how she felt that it was okay. I liked Mrs. Weasley because she sent me a Christmas gift my first year at Hogwarts without even knowing me but...but, I spent some time thinking while being held at the Dursley house about Ron and some things and well... as I told Hermione, I was probably going to lose Ron's friendship this year."

"Last year when he turned on me, it opened my eyes. He gave me this worthless apology. I accepted it because I had so few friends that I was scared to lose even one during the tournament but...but if I had to hide who I was to keep his friendship, he wasn't a true friend after all."

"A very adult way of looking at things." Madame Bones said with approval in her voice. "You should know, I used veritiaserum on all of the adult Weasley children, they knew nothing about what their mother was up to. Percy suspected she was up to something, but his mother ingrained that authority figures are always right on that foolish young man and it took the shock of having his second boss turn out to be a criminal for him to realize that she was wrong."

Harry nodded that he understood the underlying message while his mother asked her about the youngest two.

"I have been asked by Arthur to interview the youngest two, he has suspicions that they aren't as unknowing as the older ones." She replied and seeing the young boy flinch asked if James wished to be present at the Interrogation.

"I would like to watch." He replied then looking at his wife and son asked if they objected.

"No, I need to know the truth." Harry quietly replied. "Especially since I received my Hogwarts letter this morning with that prefect's badge in it. I need to know just how deep the betrayal goes."

"While you are taking care of things here, James, Harry and I are going shopping," Lily replied with a glint of glee in her expression that had James chuckling. "Muggle shopping to begin with and I am going to be insisting on dragging the dogs with us."

"We are going to be banned from London," Harry replied with an appalled expression on his face. "Mum, I am not so certain that Sirius is housebroken."

James and Amelia joined Lily in laughing out loud at that statement which coincided with an overly eager Sirius and Remus entering the office without knocking. Amelia watched as the three men stepped outside into the bullpen and looking at Lily and Harry asked about the muggles.

"I am going to strip my sister of everything she has. I understand her son is going to go on trial for attempted murder." Lily asked.

"He has already taken a plea deal, it was finalized this morning on the advice of his barrister. Unfortunately, due to his age, he is going to a treatment facility and school. St. Brutus something or other."

"St. Brutus School for the Criminally Insane," Harry replied in a flat affect. Looking at his mother he told her. "That is where the Dursleys claimed I was attending when I left for Hogwarts every year."

"Speaking of the muggles, they were told that James and you were kidnapped by an insane person who held you hostage all of this time. We also told them that it was your rescuers who rescued Harry from that gang of boys so you will be free to move about in both worlds." Amelia stated.

The trio in the bullpen came back and while Remus was thrilled to go into London with Lily and Harry, Sirius reluctantly told them that he had to remain in the Ministry. "I am waiting on paperwork to claim my estate and to register as an animagus."

When Arthur had entered the Ministry with his youngest two children and his two eldest sons, he saw Sirius Black talking to his cousin Tonks who was hugging him. What was even more shocking was seeing James Potter standing nearby. As he thought about it, he felt shaky as he realized exactly what that meant for his wife and her signing that marriage contract.

"Dad, why are we here if they aren't going to let mum go." Ginny was asking as she was escorted to a small room and asked to sit down.

Ron was directed to a second room by Shacklebolt and Charlie when with Ron while Bill remained in the room with Ginny. Arthur saw Amelia coming his way and with her was James Potter.

Blanching as saw the anger in James' face, Arthur asked to speak to the older Potter the next morning. James turned and after an assessing look, without saying a word and then with a curt nod, agreed to his request.

"Arthur, I need you to sign this paperwork allowing us to speak to your minor children," Amelia stated then when he had signed the letters she gave him told him. "Molly has learned that the headmaster is under arrest and has been asking to speak to him. We are going to allow it in the hopes that he will reveal how much of her actions were the result of his manipulations."

Arthur looked into the small rooms holding his two youngest children and faltered as he faced that he truly didn't know what they were about to say and that he couldn't be there to support them. "If they did do anything..."

With a pat on his shoulder, Amelia looked at Rufus who skillfully asked Arthur to come to talk to him. "I am hoping for your sake that you are right, but for now..."

Amelia went into the room holding Ron Weasley and looking at his brother Charles, offered the youngest male Weasley a drink. They had learned long ago that with someone as young as he a drink helped make the truth serum strong but without the side effects on someone of his age.

"So, may I call you Ronald?" She asked.

"Ron, only my dad calls me Ronald." He replied.

"Okay, so Ron, I was hoping you would tell me about the very first time you saw Albus Dumbledore." Amelia winced when the boy started talking, realizing that she should have asked when he met the older wizard until she realized her happy accident as the boy began to spill.

"I saw him several times over the years while he would stop in to speak to my Mum after my dad had gone to work. They would be in the kitchen and Mum would put up a silencing spell while Ginny and I were supposed to be studying."

By the time he finished answering her questions, Amelia was certain that he wasn't aware of what Molly had been up to but when questioned about how he felt about it, the boy shrugged and stated. "I am fine with it, after all, Harry is only a half-blood. Why should he get everything? I only wish that I wasn't expected to marry Hermione when there are tons of other very fine pureblood girls out there that I would rather date and marry, including Susan."

Counting to ten and reminding herself that he was a hormone-laden teenager was the only thing that kept her from hexing him. "What do you know about the marriage contract between your sister and Harry?"

This time there was a reaction that surprised his brother as Ron confessed to not liking it at all. "I mean, its bad enough that I have to be shunted aside by being his friend in school but to know that I will be stuck with him for the rest of my life, I hate it."

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley, this has been... informative." She replied then gave him a new glass of pumpkin juice. Once she left the room, she closed the door and saw James and Sirius were glaring at the teenager within.

"That he was using my son, we expected but the level of greed and envy is beyond what I would have expected from a fifteen-year-old," James stated.

"Not me, I am rather certain that good ole Molly is behind all of that. Think about it, Arthur is happy with his life the way it is, the greed and ambition that is all Molly."

Amelia took a deep breath and entered the room with the youngest and only female Weasley. Offering the younger girl pumpkin juice, she began by asking about her name and was a bit surprised to learn that Ginny hated her nickname and preferred to be called by her given name which appeared to startle even her eldest brother.

And by the end of the interrogation, they learned that she like her brother didn't know what their mother was up but that she was perfectly fine with taking advantage of what she had done. Amelia was shocked to learn that the young girl didn't know of the marriage contract but that she felt that it was her due, that she deserved to be Mrs. Harry Potter and that no one would stand in her way.

When asked about the Granger girl, Amelia listened to the girl's invective and after making some notes and realizing that she like her brother felt that as a pureblood her wishes should be honored over a mere muggleborn.

Moving on to discuss the girl's first year, Amelia shuddered as the young girl went from hero-worshipping Tom Riddle to blaming him for what had gone on. When she discussed her rescue, Amelia thought about what she had been told regarding the girl's mental state and that while she had no reason to keep the girl from going back to Hogwarts, this young woman was going to need extensive mental health care for years.

When James and Sirius arrived back at the keep, they found Harry who was looking exhausted. "Who knew that shopping was so tiring?"

Harry looked up in confusion then a grin broke out on his face as he went to hug his godfather and then his dad before admitting. "It's not the shopping that I object to, it's the learning the charms that are needed to keep one's room clean. In all honesty, I prefer to use the muggle method, a lot less tiring."

"Wait, why didn't the house elves take care of your new clothes?" Sirius inquired.

"You do recall how Lily felt about house elves, Sirius?" With a sympathetic expression on his face, James admitted to his son that his mother had insisted on his keeping their house clean without help when they had first gotten married.

"Mum didn't say anything against the house elves, she just objected to my not knowing the charms," Harry replied then told his father in a rueful manner. "The one who is going to object is Hermione. Let me tell you about SPEW."

* * *

Hermione was talking to her mother as they prepared dinner, explaining about why she was accepting the prefect appointment and that Harry had also gotten a badge while cutting up the green peppers for their salad.

"What else did you and your boyfriend talk about today?" Her mother asked while cooking the broiled chicken for their dinner.

Hermione's lighthearted expression went away for a few minutes as she filled her mother in on what Harry had told her about the Weasley family being brought into the Ministry for interrogation. "Anyhow, his parents are staying involved in the case, so we should hear something soon."

When her father joined them, with a kiss on the cheeks for both of his girls, Hermione gave a quick sigh of satisfaction at having this family time with her parents as they discussed their day, her plans for the upcoming school year and dealt with being teased over her boyfriend.

* * *

Minerva McGonagall was tired but happy as she looked at the files on her desk. It was August 31, tomorrow was the start of the new school year and a new reign for Hogwarts.

Exiting her office to walk the halls, amazed at the difference in the school due to the increased wards and the revival of several of the older ones, she could practically hear the hum of magic that had resulted from the newly appointed headmaster taking charge.

It should have been a shock to learn that Albus Dumbledore had been draining the magic from the ward stones, instead, she had merely been angry, there had been too much shocking news regarding that former wizard's crimes for her to be surprised.

Crossing the stone corridor to the Great Hall, she opened the double doors and smiled at the sight contained within. "Gentlemen, aren't you a little old to be sorted? Or to be using the sorting hat in your pranks"?

The three wizards looked up in surprise and with impish grins, they told her "We are here, well James is under direct orders from old Godric himself. We just thought we would help him."

A raised eyebrow and a nod of her head later, had James confessing to what the founders had told her. "The sorting hat as well?"

"Sorry, Aunt Minnie, I was thinking that we could fix this without you learning about Albus messing with this too," James replied with a shake of his head. "You should know, we stripped the altered magic from the hat, but it turns out it wasn't just Albus, a few other of the headmasters over the years had tried to mess with the hat including Sirius and my great, grandfather."

"I don't wish to know." She replied then looking around asked, "Where is Lily?"

"She went to speak to a certain oversized bat now that he has returned to Hogwarts," Sirius replied with a grim look on his face. "She said she didn't wish any of us around for it as she feared we might hex him." 

* * *

Lily stared at the lonely and bitter man standing before her and told him. "I am not the one you owe an apology to, it is my son. He came to Hogwarts, with no knowledge of his past or about James and myself. He was eager to study two subjects, Sev. Transfiguration and Potions. One class, it took only one class with you to kill his excitement at learning potions. I have spent the last few weeks working on the subject with him and you know what he told me, that it wouldn't matter, that just because he finally understood all that he should have known but that the headmaster denied him, didn't change a thing. That you would still be making him miserable."

Severus began to speak, but she held up her hand as if to tell him to stop. "No, you don't get to speak. Severus, you are a brilliant wizard, but a lousy human being. You made your choice the minute you decided to attack MY SON. I will be watching and if I even suspect that you are using the power of your position to make one single student miserable, I will have you out so fast that your head will spin."

Lily looked once again at the wizard and asked "Why are you still here, anyhow? Clearly, you hate teaching?"

"I made a vow to Albus that he wouldn't let me break to project your son. Doesn't change the fact that he is also Potter's offspring too. As to why I am still teaching, I have several students who need me in my house, when they finally graduate, I will be leaving Hogwarts."

Lily tilted her head then asked, "What if you only had to teach the NEWT level students, would you continue to do so?"

"What, bring back in someone foreign, I wouldn't wish that on the students." He replied. "Plus, your husband's pal, Lupin needs Wolfsbane and I am the only person able to make it."

"Let me do some work." She replied then walked towards the door then looking back at the wizard standing there, told him. "I know that James apologized to you for what happened when we graduated, I didn't ask him to do that, he did so all on his own. You have spent the last twenty years of your life, living in the past, you need to let it go, move on and find yourself a future."

With that, she left and the man remaining in the classroom let out a heavy sigh and clenched his trembling hands as he thought back to all he had learned that week at Gringotts about the headmaster and what he had done. Severus was staying at Hogwarts only so that he could overcome the potions that were in his system and then he was leaving, knowing that there was no possible way he could stay and watch the only women he had ever loved with her husband.

In his mind, Lily was still that beautiful seventeen-year-old girl. The thirtysomething-year-old woman who had confronted him had ended those gossamer dreams of what could have been and it had torn his heart asunder. 

* * *

September 1st, the dawn came and Amelia Bones was arriving at the Ministry just in time to see Percy Weasley and his muggleborn mentor leaving to spent time learning about how to be a muggle.

Percy had already moved into a muggle loft in an old warehouse and had been given muggle ID and muggle credentials. The young wizard had paid a visit to his mother that had not gone well and he was eager to go away so that he could find his equilibrium to deal with her crimes.

Entering her office in time to see Tonks and Shacklebolt returning Albus Dumbledore to his cell, she went to read the transcript from his latest interrogation. They were potioning him daily and each time asking him about a different year in each morning and afternoon session.

Tonks entered her office followed by Vance and Jones who were shaking their head. "What is it?"

"Let's just say that Moody is not going to be very happy with his old friend. Turns out that Dumbledore leaked the location through Wormtail that got him that peg leg. He was to be collateral damage."

"Merlin." Madame Bones was debating not telling Alastor but knew that it had to be done. "Have we figured out when he found out that Pettigrew was the spy?"

Vance nodded her head and told her. "He knew that the boy wasn't trustworthy while still at Hogwarts. Once James began to date Lily, Peter felt betrayed by James who he felt was a blood traitor. When he was rejected for the auror core, he turned to those on the fringes of the death eaters."

"There is more, Albus deliberately kept Severus Snape from escaping his father. He knew the man was abusing him. He wanted to use Snape as a spy, he knew that Riddle would find someone with his skills very interesting. Turns out that the Prince family had a change of heart and came to Albus to try to save his mother and him, but he removed the memory from them."

Vance thought about it and admitted "I can't help feeling sorry for Snape. He is who Albus molded him into being. He kept egging Potter, Black and Lupin and Snape into battles with two motives. The first to mold Snape the second because he wished and get this one... he wanted James to turn against Lily and to marry Bellatrix because he believed she would turn away from the dark side."

"Damn, has the mind healer been to see him yet?" Amelia inquired.

"Not yet, they were waiting for us to finish our interrogations," Jones replied. "We figure we have at least another month. You should know, Moody sent a message to Rufus that had him smashing his hand into a wall."

Amelia thanked them and then went to speak to Rufus who was already drinking firewhiskey. "That bad is it?"

Scoffing, and pouring her a drink, he told her. "Moody found Grindelwald alive and locked in a prison that requires Dumbledore's magical signature to allow him to leave. Nurmengard is a fortress and the guards told Moody that Dumbledore has paid his former lover a visit every single summer since he locked him up and it wasn't because he was trying to change him. Turns out that they were still lovers."

"What in Merlin's hairy balls, are you serious?" You have got to be kidding me?" She asked as she lifted the offered glass and drained it.

"I wish. Moody says the entire fortress has magic suppressing wards around it. He found out when he attempted to end Grindelwald's life as the bastard begged him to. Turns out that he has gone a bit around the bend. Amelia, I truly don't think that we can allow this to get out. We need to find a way to finish this bastard off and to do so quietly. Maybe with a muggle weapon if possible." 

* * *

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight 

Over the next few days, things moved quickly. Amelia and Rufus sent Madeye Moody with an MI5 muggles weapons expert who was cleared to know about the magical world to deal with Grindelwald.

The MI5 agent was horror-stricken as he explained to the retired auror that Grindelwald was none in the non-magical world as one of Hitler's worst supporters and that he would take the secret to his grave about what he had seen.

Moody nodded grimly even as he helped to bury the now dead wizard on the ground of his prison. When he returned to speak to Amelia, he found a returned James Potter was there.

* * *

James was handing over the goblin healer's report regarding Lily and his returns. "He said that the reason we aged when we left the fade was the goblin king would have used magic to make us the appropriate age as if we had never died."

Amelia asked if Lily and he were officially back when he sighed and told her. "We found that we have access to our funds, Albus tried to access our accounts but due to his throwing Sirius in jail without a trial, he unknowingly froze everything. I do have one issue. A squib named Arabella Figg, the headmaster illegally turned over a house near Lily's sister to the woman. She did a runner, my guess is she heard that Albus was exposed and was scared."

"Not quite. She died the same night that the goblin king took Harry to the Underground." Amelia replied. "I will add it to the items we question Albus about."

"Don't bother. As long as she isn't out there, I am fine with what happened." James answered. "What I do need to know is what is going to happen to Molly Weasley and her two youngest children. I hate to ask Arthur, with all he is going through."

"Molly is facing time in Azkaban, the two children didn't do anything illegal so they will be free to return to Hogwarts. Arthur has agreed that they will be spending time with a mind healer."

"Can he afford that?" James bluntly asked.

"No, but there is a fund that we have set up to help the victims of the headmaster. We are going to pay for the mind healer to be on call for the two of them for a year. After that, they are on their own." Rufus who had been speaking to Moody behind a silencing screen stated after being informed of the death of Grindelwald.

"One other thing..." James looked at Rufus who looked at Amelia then told the returned wizard. "Albus when we mentioned Neville Longbottom confessed to paying someone at St. Mungos to potion Frank and Alice. I heard you paid a visit to the boy."

"We are his godparents," James stated. "Lily suspected as much when we found out how far Albus went to remove Sirius from Harry's life."

"He wanted Neville Longbottom equally isolated," Amelia replied. "We have since learned that he believes that prophecy that Sybil Trewlawny told him before your son was born."

"She was fired from Hogwarts, I heard she fled the country."

Moody was walking out to the lifts with James, apologizing for believing the headmaster's line of manipulation. "He fooled us all."

"No, oddly enough, there were those who saw through him but they stayed silent as it was to their benefit." James retorted as they exited the Ministry a few minutes later.

September 1st

As they crossed the barrier at King's Cross, Harry and Hermione were thrilled to see each other and were both reluctant to tell their parents goodbye. The Grangers watched however as their daughter and her boyfriend took charge of the first years as they came through the muggleborn entrance and helped them on the train and did the same for the half-bloods and purebloods all the while greeting their classmates.

When a handsome tall young man came through the floo wearing the head boy badge, they heard the entire group clapping and hugging him along with a few jokes about his being a vampire and a zombie.

The handsome boy was shaking hands with young Harry when a reporter snapped a photo and quickly disappeared while the upper year students were surrounding the two of them. James reluctantly covered himself with the invisibility cloak when he saw the family of redheads, knowing that the youngest two were not aware that Lily and he were alive.

Into this melee came the Weasleys. The twins quickly joined the insanity around the two boys and pulled the Granger's young daughter into it and began bowing and playing games.

Noticing the time, her parents waved goodbye while laughing at their daughter's futile attempts to escape the wild twins. When Harry pulled her free and using his wand petrified the twins, Hermione rushed over and gave her parents a hug and a whispered I love you before rejoining the melee in an attempt to get the students on the train.

The two youngest Weasleys were standing and watching resentfully as their father was insisting on their staying with him until they were to board the train.

Ginny's eyes were feasting on the handsome dark-haired boy with flashing green eyes while her brother was glaring at the P that was on the same boy's robes.

"Enough, it is time for you two to get on the train," Arthur stated as he escorted the two with the help of their two eldest brothers into the train and into a private car that Amelia Bones had arranged for them. Turning them over to their minder, Arthur warned them. "One misstep and your both coming home. Harry and Hermione both know everything." 

Ginny's eyes narrowed as she glared at her father but went into the small compartment where the medi-witch minder was waiting for them. By the time that the train was chugging along the tracks towards Hogwarts, she was seated with a serene expression on her face while her mind ran through scenarios in which she could gain Harry's attention.

Her mother's words still rattling around in her head about how much Harry had lost with the death of her mother and how that she resembled Lily and would be able to use that to get his attention. She didn't like how close he was to Granger, but after all, Granger was only a muggleborn and would be no threat to her.

Her brother, Ron, however, was fuming as he sat there, muttering complaints about how Harry always won and that he had everything. "It's not fair."

Their minder just kept track of everything that was going on so she could report it immediately to the new Hogwarts headmaster. She was almost smirking with the need to chuckle as she used legimacy on the girl and listened to the boy, knowing that their plans would take a serious turn for the worse when they learned who the new headmaster was.

Harry and Hermione were greeted by their friends as they walked the length of the train during their time patrolling. Neville was excited to see them and so wasn't Seamus, Dean and the two girls that Hermione roomed with.

Neville was asked to save them space in his compartment and he mentioned that other than Luna Lovegood his was empty. "Sue is coming to the school with her aunt and I think that Hannah is too."

By the time that they had greeted their fellow fourth years, Hermione was grimacing as she realized that only Nott, Zabini, Greengrass and Davis were left in the Slytherin house fifth years. "I wonder how Draco is dealing with the changes?"

"Sirius mentioned that the Malfoys landed in Australia. It was the only country that would accept them without returning them to us, but there are strict rules. I can just imagine how Draco is going to deal with his new reality." Harry replied with a grin as he thought of how all witches and wizards were equal in the land down under.

"What about the rest of the Slytherins?" She asked.

"From what I overheard, Crabbe and Goyle's dads were arrested and their mums took them to the United States because they get a free remedial education there. Bulstrode is returning but she wasn't taking the train as she actually lives in Scotland and that is one of the changes that they made. As for Parkinson, her family fled and her mum and she were stuck in Canada when her father was arrested. Seems like Mr. Parkinson thought that Canada was a pureblood's paradise. Now they have no money and she is stuck attending school there."

When they had finished their patrols and had reported to the head boy and girl, Cedric and their very own housemate Angelina Johnson, Harry and Hermione spoke quietly to the twins who soberly apologized for what their mother had attempted and what their father had told him of his unwitting part in.

"We don't blame you two," Hermione replied with a small smile on her face. "In fact, when I was looking for a way to save Harry this year before I landed in asking the Goblin King for help, I considered the two Masters of Mayhem but realized that your mum was watching the two of you too close to get you involved." 

"Master's of Mayhem?" Fred repeated then with a wicked grin looked at his twin and said "Master?"

"Yes, Master?" George with a bow his way replied.

"I think that these two have given us our name, thank them for me." He directed. Harry and Hermione gave a laugh and quickly fled calling out to them they were very honored but would prefer to be thanked at a later date, February 31st would work well for them.

The Weasley twins released the tension that they had been hiding as they looked at one another. Harry had rejected their offer to return the monies he had won in the TriWizard tournament and had written to them that he still considered them his friends but they knew that they had to have a face to face meeting to be sure after all their family had intended to egregiously harm them out of greed.

Neville looked up and smiled when Harry and Hermione rushed into the compartment and quickly closed and locked the door. "What is going on?"

"The twins were threatening to thank us," Hermione replied then shaking off her amusement, introduced herself to Luna Lovegood and recalled seeing the small ethereal blond wandering the halls of Hogwarts and spending quite a bit of time in the library.

Thanks to Remus Lupin they were aware of her history and Harry had been furious to learn that his former crush Cho Chang had been one of the cliques of girls responsible for the younger girl's misery. He was looking forward to the Opening Feast when they would soon learn that things were going to be a changing at Hogwarts and that bullying and tormenting your classmates was to end.

Neville settled back into his seat, petting his plant and explaining to Hermione what it was and did. "Harry's dad gave it to me when he came to explain how his wife and he were my godparents and how they were hoping I would spend some time with them. Thanks, Harry."

"Dad said he talked your grandmother into getting you your own wand, did it work?" He asked.

"Yes, I even was given a magical dispensation for the last two weeks so that I could get used to using it before returning to Hogwarts," Neville said with a huge smile on his face that faded into a look of uncertainty as he told them what the hospital had told him. "Healer Chadwick was taken off my parent's case, it turns out that he was using potions given to him by the headmaster to keep my parents as they are. Like with Harry he was trying to control my life by having my grandmother raise me. She was found to have compulsion charms on her."

"Oh, Neville..." Hermione's voice trailed off as she thought about how dreadful Albus Dumbledore truly was and how he had projected an aura of goodness.

"The new healer has been weaning them off the potions and they are expected to be at least alert by Halloween." He replied with a slight smile returning to his face. "I just don't understand why he would do such a thing over a prophecy told to him by Trelawney."

Luna smiled at Neville and resting her hands upon him, told him. "It does no good to try to understand why that wizard did what he did, I am sure that it was merely the flubber biggets taking control because no one is born that evil."

* * *

Arthur was in his room changing into his work robes, his mind on all that he had learned that summer. He had been horrified to learn of what his wife and the headmaster had been doing not only to their world but also to young Harry.

That he had played a small part that thankfully his father had ripped up still shook Arthur as he realized that going forward, he needed to lead not to follow others. James Potter and when he had found out Sirius Black had made very clear that that were not going to accept his excuses.

When Arthur had claimed to be relieved that Sirius had torn up the contract, there had been a moment's silence then James had informed him that it had been he who had done so. Arthur had sunk into a nearby chair and told the two wizards that his wife had lied while under veritiaserum, that she claimed Sirius had done so.

This had resulted in Molly ending up requestioned after being forced to take a purging potion. The truths it had unlocked had shaken his entire family when Arthur was directed to St. Mungos where he was admitted so that he could take a very strong purging potion.

When Arthur had been offered his new position upon exiting Hogwarts, he had almost turned it down out of shame but had been convinced by the Potters, Black, and many others that he was needed to help guide this new world.

At Hogwarts, the train was coming into the Hogsmeade Station and the professors and the new headmaster was preparing to greet them as they gathered in the Great Hall. Minerva McGonagall was placing the sorting hat on its stool as she informed the new headmaster that Hagrid's replacement had gone to gather the first years for their boat ride across the Black Lake.

Hagrid's shock and disbelief at what Albus Dumbledore had done had been compounded by learning that it had been his mentor who had kept him for regaining his wand. Hagrid had taken the offered position with the dragon preserve in Romania to escape from the new reality.

The new Headmaster looked at his staff, Severus Snape who was seated next to Remus Lupin his DADA's professor, followed by Sirius Black who was going to be teaching history. He was mentally considering attending a few of the animagus' lessons having been surprised at how out of date his own lessons had been.

The newest Care of Magical Teachers Professor, Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank was giving Sirius a wide berth as he kept standing to pace back and forth out of excitement at being a professor, her look of amusement had the new headmaster chuckling as she leaned over to speak to Pomona Sprout.

Professor Flitwick was next, bouncing excitedly at the thoughts of the changes to the school. Beside of him was the empty seat belonging to Minerva McGonagall. On his other side, was Lily Potter who had taken over the muggle studies class that was going to be a requirement for graduation of every single student going forward. Lily was going to continue working on her charms mastery with Filius Flitwick but was also going to be teaching.

As his eyes drifted over Rolanda, Irma whose greatly expanded library had thrilled the woman, Poppy who upon hearing of her new responsibilities to give each new student and this year all current students a physical had made her quite happy as the former headmaster had ended those the year that Harry had started Hogwarts.

Aurora Sinistra was arguing with Horace Slughorn about the importance of moon cycles while Bathsheda Babbling and Septima Vector were clearly gossiping as their eyes kept going to the three male professors seated at the opposite end of the table and giggling.

* * *

Hermione and Harry helped their other prefects escort the first years to their boats, Harry feeling a bit of regret at the loss of Hagrid but knowing that his old friend had written to him apologizing for what part he had played in his terrible childhood and had asked Harry to write to him at the dragon preserve.

When they were seated by themselves in one of the final carriages, Harry was telling Hermione how his dad was going to be attending the Opening Feast. "He is going to be staying at the castle but leaving every day so that he can get our family estate back into order."

"Are you excited that your mum is going to be teaching?" She asked with a grin on her face.

"Yes and no. With the abilities unlocked by the founders, I am going to be taking Arithmancy and Runes as well as Care of Magical Creatures. Plus, she has already warned me about being caught with my cloak, so..." Harry gave Hermione an impish grin then said "Moony and Padfoot, however, didn't tell her about a certain map that is going to come in real handy when we are patrolling through."

"Harry!" She said shoving him a bit in a playful manner. "You're supposed to be a prefect and here you are bringing in forbidden objects to Hogwarts."

"In truth..." Harry leaned over and whispered to her in spite of there being no one else in the carriage. "It's not forbidden. They were never actually caught with it and Filch who was fired by the new headmaster never actually knew what it is."

Arriving at Hogwarts, Harry grinned at his mother but frowned when he didn't see his father or the new headmaster anyplace in the Great Hall, he found Hermione and himself a seat closest to where the newest first years would be seated.

Looking at the small two-seater table at the very end of the Gryffindor table and how Ginny and Ron were being ordered to sit there then charmed to stay seated by their medical minder, Harry lost his smile as he saw the glare coming his way. "Ron and Ginny are here."

Hermione turned to look at the twosome and then saw the odd looks coming their way from the rest of the Gryffindor housemates. "I wish..." 

"Me too," Harry replied to her unspoken statement. "I just wish that I had known the truth five years ago. I hate that he hid how he felt all these years, that I didn't see how jealous he was. I mean... I did but some part of me was willing to accept it so that I could have a friend... yet..."

The first years entered and Hermione reached under the table and gripped his hand tightly in hers while giving him an understanding look because if anyone understood what Harry wasn't saying, it was her.

Minerva McGonagall turned to the front of the Great Hall and nodded at Arthur Weasley, in a break from tradition was going to speak before the first years were sorted.

"Welcome, students old and new." Harry saw the twins flick a silencing charm at their two youngest siblings when their father stood from where he had been seated under a disillusion charm in the headmaster's chair. Not the ornate throne that Albus had used but merely a chair seated in the center of the table.

"I am Arthur Weasley, the new headmaster, here at Hogwarts. I am honored to be placed in charge of guiding the future of the magical world, that future isn't myself, no our future is all of you. There are going to be many, many changes as we move forward in our world. Change isn't a bad thing in spite of what you may have been led to believe. Change is the inevitable result of life.

As you walk the halls of Hogwarts, the upper year students will notice that the halls, portraits, and even the armor seem to exude magical power, this is because we have begun these changes by strengthening the foundations of this great institution.

We are one society, one people and it is time we start acting like, now Deputy Headmistress McGonagall is going to get our newest students sorted into their houses, but for the students, both old and new, we must not let this sorting create barriers keep us from making friends in all houses, because only by standing as one will all of us, pureblood, half-blood and muggleborn but most importantly, magical blood will we survive as a society."

As the students watched, the first group of students to attend Hogwarts after the purge of Albus Dumbledore's toxic beliefs began to be seated, Harry noticed his father arriving through the double doors and grinned at him as he went to be seated next to his mother at the head table.

Hermione looked around, noticing that the new students were being equally distributed to the houses, that there was a new sense of change In the air. Her plan had been put in place to save Harry and it seemed as if by saving Harry, she had managed to save Hogwarts and to a lesser extent the entire magical world.

Noticing an owl that resembled Hedwig but that wasn't that particular raptor, she smiled widely when she noticed that it was seated on the rafter next to an ebony colored owl with very distinctive green eyes.

Nodding as if to bow her head, she mouthed thank you to the Goblin King and blinked back her tears as the two owls flew out the open skylight. Feeling a strong warm hand gripping hers, she turned to Harry and leaned in to whisper. "I think that everything is going to be all right from now on."

 **EPILOGUE**

Twenty-three years later, Harry Potter was standing at the departure point in King's Cross Station as the Hogwarts Express pulled away from the station. Looking for his wife and hopefully soon to be Minister of Magic, he saw her speaking to Susan Diggory and Hannah Longbottom.

"So, do you think that they are solving all the world's problems?" Cedric asked as he watched the trio of women who were still talking as their children chugged off towards Hogwarts.

With a rueful grin, Harry replied "No, in truth, I rather fear that they are gossiping about the news from Australia regarding Luna Lovegood and Draco Malfoy. That was not one I was expecting."

"Hey, stranger things have happened. According to Hannah, Draco actually matured, she was shocked when she ran into them at the Runes convention in Mexico. She told me that she was certain that it was someone polyjuiced to be Draco until he actually apologized for his past behavior." Neville replied as he joined the two wizards. Noticing the woman with the pink hair who had joined the women, he asked Harry. "Did you hear that Severus Snape was given a knighthood from the French for discovering the cure for werewolves?"

"Remus and Tonks told me. I was more shocked to hear that he had found a wife while in France." Harry admitted with a sheepish grin on his face. "Turns out there is hope for all single wizards out there if Snape can find someone to marry him."

"Doubt that you include Ron Weasley in that list," Cedric replied while shaking his head. The youngest male Weasley had not improved with age and his jealousy combined with his laziness had resulted in his father expelling him from Hogwarts after he had received his OWLS. The redhead used to work for his brothers and lived in the family home with his now squib mother after even they fired him for attacking their wives, Daphne, and Tracy who used to be members of Slytherin house.

With a grimace, Harry replied "I had to go speak to Arthur about his behavior last week after he had tried to spread rumors about Hermione at the Ministry. Thankfully, his sister has stayed out of matters."

"Her husband insists on it." With a nod towards their wives who were heading their way, Neville quickly added: "I heard that Nott made her take a vow to obey him when he was stuck marrying her after getting her pregnant."

Cedric shuddered as he recalled how Ginny Weasley had attempted to seduce him in her bid to garner Harry's attention, but thankfully Susan had saved him. When she had given up using jealousy, she had attempted to make it look as if a Slytherin student had attacked her, unfortunately for her, Harry had believed Nott and so had her father. 

A quick test later and she was found to be pregnant with Nott's child and that young man had reluctantly decided to marry her. Now she was a mother in name only as Nott didn't trust her alone with her own children.

Hermione came over to speak to the wizards and then Harry and she apparated to Potter Keep. "It is too quiet here."

Harry chuckled and pointed out that their three children might be at Hogwarts, but that the house was full of house elves. "I am sure that if you were to ask them they would make things nosy enough that you wouldn't miss Sasha, Siri, and Jacob. Besides, think of it this way, the twins have been looking forward to attending Hogwarts and terrorizing their godfather since learning of it."

Hermione had a small satisfied smirk appear on her face as she thought of Remus and Sirius aka Padfoot dealing with their twins and their ten months older sister who were all first-year students at Hogwarts that year. "Did you give them the cloak and the updated map?"

"Would I do something as irresponsible as that?" Hearing a scoff, Harry turned to wink at his father who was playing innocent.

"So that is a yes?" She asked then hearing her mother-in-law went to speak to Lily while the two Potter males spoke about the estate and the company that they had started. Harry had taken it over after attending muggle business college while James had moved over to take an interest in politics.

Finding Lily preparing to return to Hogwarts where she was now the charms professor, she grinned at the picture her mother-in-law made as she charmed the books that she had dancing to her trunk. "I thought you took the books already?"

"I did these are the muggle novels that I offered up to Mr. Thomas as he is taking over my old position as muggle studies professor." She replied then looking at her daughter in law, gave her a thorough but conspiratorial look. "Have you told Harry yet?"

"Not yet, I am planning on doing so this evening." She replied then when James and Lily had left, she tracked her husband down and found him feeding Hedwig who was now too old to be a post owl but was still a beloved family member. "Hello, Hedwig. Have you decided to go to the Underground?"

The aged owl nodded as if he understood her then with a nip at Harry's hand Hermione called for the goblin king and watched with teary eyes as Harry's familiar went below. 

Jareth who looked the same to them as he had twenty-three years before gave them a small nod then reminded them that they would see Hedwig again, "Just not for a long, long time. You have done well, in helping to guide your world."

"Thank you," Hermione replied while Harry regained control of his emotions. "I saw Sarah escorting your son to the Hogwarts Express. She barely had time to wave, I heard the call."

Jareth chuckled and told them "Christoff was thrilled because it meant his mother couldn't hug him in front of his friends, he is at that age where he is too grown up for hugs. I wasn't so sure that his having above ground magic as well as our magic was a good thing but the seers have told us that he was meant to meet his future at Hogwarts."

Jareth told them "Unfortunately, I have to go help Sarah with the runner she had to answer earlier. I will see you at Mid Winter."

With that, the goblin king returned to his castle at the center of the goblin city in time to see his wife send the wished away to the nursery and to change the wisher into a goblin.

"Did you tell them?" She asked knowingly as her husband tugged her back to his throne and onto his lap.

"That their daughter Siri is destined to rule over our lands?" He asked with a smirk. "No, I don't think that Harry would like the thought of his little girl being married, just yet. That she will choose to live with us when she finishes Hogwarts... no."

Sarah thought over the last two decades as she heard her youngest children chasing the goblins. Resting her head against the hollow spot in her husband's neck, she mentally thanked Hermione for the millionth time that she had needed her help and had returned her to be beloved.

* * *

In a prison cell, a slightly decrepit old man was trying to hang himself using only his beard as he was without magic and had been for over twenty years. His life had been so grand, his future so bright but it had all ended when he had underestimated that small slip of a muggleborn.

His lover was dead, killed by one of his oldest friends with a muggle weapon called a gun. His dreams crushed and the world one that he didn't recognize anymore, but the worst part was that he had been forgotten by all except one who visited him yearly out of vengeance.

Sirius Black who had never forgotten how he had manipulated his godson and had left him with muggles regularly paid him an annual visit. It was how the forgotten wizard kept track of the years that had past.

Sure enough, after failing to have the courage to kill himself, Albus heard the sound of footsteps and saw the middle-aged wizard entering the corridor of the very prison he himself had stuck his lover in.

"Hello, Albus." Sirius looked at his former headmaster and smirked in a rather cold fashion. "You should know there is a new minister."

Feeling a bit hopeful as each new minister learned of his imprisonment, he had hope that they would see that his crimes had been minor and that he deserved freedom from his unjust sentence that quickly faded as he was told who the new minister was.

"No! There is no way that a muggleborn is Minister, it isn't to be born." He cried out in anger.

"Not only is Hermione Potter the newly appointed Minister, but her father in law is also the new Chief of the Wizengamot. James has spent years undoing the damage you did to our world. By the way, this incoming class at Hogwarts is the first to have attended the new primary school that was set up to integrate the muggleborn students early."

"You are violating the..."

"We are violating nothing, old man. You were set in your ways that you were damn lucky to not have exposed our world to the non-magical, but we have no fears of that any longer."

"You are destroying our world, our traditions!" Albus shouted.

"The world has changed, Albus, and I didn't come here to argue with you, in fact, my wife would have preferred that I did not come at all, but I decided that one last visit was apropos. Goodbye Albus, may you have a long life stuck here with only your ego for company."

With that Sirius apparated out of Nuremberg and returned to Hogwarts where he went to track down his wife. Pressing a kiss to Aurora's cheek he asked how long they had to the Opening Feast.

"An hours, so let's change and head down. I know that you're excited that your godchildren are finally coming to Hogwarts." She replied as she went to change into her dress robes. "Arthur is trembling in his boots at the thought of all three Potter children being in the same class, he might need some shoring up."

Sirius mentally compared the man he had just left to the man who had replaced him as Hogwarts headmaster. Arthur had set the tone for his stewardship of Hogwarts on the night of his very first opening feast, with a warmth and honesty that he still had all these years later

Thinking on the old man locked in the tower, he had given the old man a gift out of compassion that he hoped for the sake of those who had moved on past the manipulations he used.

An old man picked up the muggle weapon, unsure how it worked and why it would be in his cell. Tilting it so that he could look down it's round barrel, holding it by it's handle, he never heard it going off and not really understanding what it meant until he felt the pain then nothing then blackness before he realized that he wasn't going on the next Great Adventure, no, from the looks of things, he was someplace very hot!

A hundred years later, Harry and Hermione made the decision to go to the Underground and spoke to their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren who had made the choice to live in the aboveground world.

They had lived full and happy lives. They had made a difference in their world and were quite happy to leave it in the hands of those who were to follow them.

With a final hug given to their two children who had chosen to remain aboveground, Hermione called not for the goblin king, but for the king of the entire Underground.

There was a soft rumble of thunder and then two owls arrived and turned into their fae forms. Words were unnecessary as they handed them two crystals and within seconds they were in a large castle where Harry looked at his wife and wiping their tears turned to his parents who had gone through this choice twenty-five years earlier.

Hugs were traded and then Hermione looked at Jareth and Sarah who were standing nearby with their daughter and son in law and asked: "Now what?"

"Now you watch over your world, but you have left it a much better world than the one you came into," Jareth replied then with a smile, held onto his wife's hand as they popped away.

Their daughter, the new goblin queen hugged her parents yet again and asked: "Do you want to meet your newest grandchild?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Hermione asked as Harry and she went forward to their next great adventure with an excited Hedwig flying above them cawing out his greeting, thankful that a wish to the goblin king had granted them a long and happy life aboveground and now that they had the same future in the Underground, because forever, it wasn't that long at all.

 **The End**


End file.
